For the Love of the Game
by othravenslvr
Summary: Lucas gets sick and his life is turned upside down. Please R&R! :
1. Previously on OTH

Hey everybody! This is my third story, my first that isn't going to be based primarily on romance. Basically, Lucas is going to get sick and his world is going to change and he'll find out that he can't get through it alone. I really want to focus on relationships such as Lucas/Nathan, Lucas/Haley, Lucas/Dan, and of course the romance in the story will be focused on Lucas/Brooke, Nathan/Haley, and Peyton/Jake.

The story is pretty much set after episode 3x10. Some things are different though, especially with the adults. Lucas and Brooke are not "dating" yet, but they are getting much closer. Nathan and Haley are pretty much back together but they still have some trust issues to deal with. Jake is not back yet. Deb has already run away and Dan is living at the beach house. Keith is not back yet. Karen is still in New Zealand with Andy. Lucas does not have HCM. Everything else is pretty much like how it is in the show. Hope you like the story! -Justine

Credits:

"He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother" by Lucasismine20 on the WB boards—Storyline idea, medical information

BIG HUGE thanks to Melissa for being the most awesome beta ever for the story!


	2. The Day It All Changed

Chapter 1

"Get your heads in the game, boys!" Whitey yelled from the sideline as the team practiced for their first game the upcoming Friday night. Nathan glanced over and watched the cheerleaders. He laughed to himself as Haley danced in the short, blue skirt. It would always be weird for him to watch her do that, but he couldn't say that he didn't like it. He watched as Brooke stared at Lucas for a split second. He knew they hadn't completely worked things out, but he honestly didn't know why. They both knew they loved each other, but whatever. He was snapped back into reality as the ball was passed to him and he made the shot. Lucas watched Nathan make the shot and clapped his hands in approval as the team backed and the ball went back into play. He caught Brooke's eye from across the court and smiled briefly, but didn't try to get her attention. He caught the pass that was thrown to him and shot the ball. It missed.

"Don't worry bout it, man." his teammate yelled.

Lucas tried to get back into the game, tried to forget that he'd just missed a wide-open shot, but he couldn't ignore the newly-forming pain in his shoulder. He rubbed it discreetly so that no one would notice and felt to see if it was alright. His bad shoulder hadn't caused him problems in almost a year. It wasn't even two minutes later before Lucas was passed the ball again and missed another shot. The pain in his shoulder was getting worse and he had no idea why. After a few more minutes and two more missed shots, the pain was a lot worse.

"Lucas!" Whitey yelled and motioned for him to come over.

Lucas jogged up to the coach, secretly glad to give his shoulder a break for a minute.

"What's up, coach?" he asked, a little out of breath.

"Your shoulder giving you problems again, son?" Whitey asked sincerely, knowing Lucas wouldn't miss that many shots and be rubbing his shoulder if something wasn't wrong.

"No, sir. Guess I'm just a little off my game, today." Lucas said.

"You lying to me, Scott?" Whitey asked, worried as he faked a stern tone.

Lucas laughed a little at the man and nodded.

"Lay off it. You shouldn't even have been playing after the last game last season anyway. Since you haven't had trouble with it since then, I've been letting you. But you gotta let me know when it starts to act up again." Whitey told him.

Lucas nodded, grateful for the man's concern but not wanting to sit out.

"Alright, go get some ice for that shoulder. I'm going to need you for the game Friday, captain." Whitey said smiling, gently tapping the "C" embroidered on Lucas's jersey.

Lucas thanked him and jogged past the team and the cheerleaders into the locker room, avoiding all of the strange looks he got for leaving practice early.

Nathan watched Lucas jog off into the locker room and stopped, wondering what was wrong. Whitey would never let Lucas skip practice the week before the first game unless something had happened. He tried not to think about it. He didn't want to be worried about Lucas, he wanted to stay mad at him. He wanted to remember all of the lies Lucas had told him the past few months. Angrily, Nathan got back into the game.

Lucas sat down on the bench in front of the lockers and carefully pulled his jersey over his head. He felt the pull of his shoulder as he lifted his arm and a strong jolt of pain ran down his arm, making him dizzy for a moment. He grabbed the bag of ice he'd set beside him and placed it on his aching shoulder and laid his head back against the lockers. His shoulder hadn't given him problems since last season and he'd been playing a lot since then, so why the sudden problems? Sure, practice had been brutal lately and he seemed to be more tired than ever afterwards but he definitely didn't think he was working it too hard. He sat for a few minutes before picking up his bag and slinging it over his other shoulder. He kept the ice on his shoulder and grabbed his t-shirt, walking out the door. He walked out of the gym as everyone else ended practice. Whitey smiled at him and tipped his baseball cap, walking into his office. Haley whispered to Brooke and then ran over to Lucas.

"Luke!" she called after him.

"Hey!" he greeted, turning to smile at his best friend.

Haley looked at her friend's eyes, worried.

"Your shoulder bothering you, Luke?" she asked.

"Uh, yeah. It's fine, don't worry about it." he assured her, knowing she'd worry about him.

"Lucas?"

"I'm fine, Hales. Really, k?" he assured her again.

She tilted her head and smiled. She wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him. He balanced the ice on his shoulder and wrapped his arm around her, using his other hand to tousle her hair playfully.

"Alright, see ya later, Hales." he said, turning away.

"Later, Luke."

---

The week went by quickly, with every day seeming to be a replay of the first. Lucas made it til Friday, but his shoulder was killing him and he had no clue as to why. He'd made it through practice all week with Whitey suspiciously watching him. He'd made a couple shots but he wasn't his normal self. After assuring Whitey multiple times that he was fine, he got the okay to play in the game.

"When your mom gets back from New Zealand, you'll tell her?" Whitey asked him for the millionth time in the locker room.

Lucas laughed at the man's attempts and nodded again. Whitey laughed and patted him on the back before walking into the gym.

Nathan watched Lucas pull on his uniform and leaned back against the lockers. He didn't want to be worried about Lucas, he didn't want to notice how exhausted Lucas had been lately and how his shoulder was killing him, he didn't want to care…but he did. He watched Lucas roll his shoulder around in its socket and looked away. He hated himself for caring, but he did. They all looked towards the door as they heard the music coming from the gym.

"Alright, boys! Let's do this!" Nathan yelled.

The team slammed their lockers and ran into the gym as the crowd cheered. Lucas sat on the bench and watched the cheerleaders finish their dance. Haley smiled and waved at him as they left the court. He scanned the girls and locked eyes with Brooke. She smiled sweetly at him and mouthed 'Good Luck' and he nodded and smiled. The girls walked off and at the blow of the ref's whistle, the teams ran onto the court. Lucas stood beside Nathan on the court and shook hands with the opposing team.

"You up for this?" Nathan finally mustered up the courage and civility to say to his brother.

Lucas looked at him quizzically. He and Nathan hadn't been on the best of terms and he missed him. It worried him that other people on the team had noticed how out of it he'd been this week.

"Yeah, let's do this…" Lucas answered simply.

The ball was knocked into play and the game started abruptly.

Both teams played hard and by the last period, the Ravens were up by 6 points and the clock was winding down. Lucas looked to the sideline and Whitey motioned to him.

"You can't pull me out now, coach!" Lucas pleaded with the man.

"Just for a minute or two, Scott. I can't have you passing out on me! You look like you just ran across the whole damn country!" Whitey told him.

Lucas sighed and sat down on the bench, wiping the sweat from his face. He watched the team pass the ball back and forth and grabbed a cup of water from the table, anxiously awaiting his time to go back in. He turned his head quickly as he heard his name being called out and a sudden wave of dizziness washed over him. Whitey looked into the boy's eyes and knew he wasn't feeling himself. Going against every gut feeling about the boy, he called out.

"Scott, we got 4 minutes left! Go get em!"

Lucas rubbed his eyes quickly, forgetting the dizziness and his aching shoulder, glad to be back in the game. Nathan watched Lucas jog back into the game and noticed how tired he looked. Lucas played hard and ignored the physical pain- he wanted to win. With a little less than a minute left on the clock, the Ravens were only winning by two points and had to keep their lead. Lucas caught a pass and shot the ball, missing it. The team scrambled to rebound it and he shook his head as he ran after them. The other team scored, tying the game. Nathan quickly put up another shot, giving them a two-point lead. The scoreboard counted down the last 15 seconds as the crowd cheered. No one scored and the last second ticked away. The crowd went wild as the team jumped and cheered.

"Alright, boys! Great way to start the season!" Whitey yelled.

Nathan cheered and noticed Lucas lagging behind the celebration. After a moment's hesitation, he decided to reach out to him. He jogged over and called out.

"Lucas! Good game, man!" he yelled, catching up to him.

He came up behind him and playfully hit Lucas on the shoulder to get him to turn around. Lucas felt someone hit his shoulder and searing pain ran through his arm. He immediately fell to his knees as the world spun. His shoulder burned and throbbed and he felt like the world was rocking back and forth.

"Lucas!" Nathan asked, concerned as his brother dropped to the ground. He immediately remembered that he'd hit Lucas's bad shoulder and regretted it.

"Lucas!" he asked again when he didn't respond. He knelt down beside the boy and heard people come up behind him. Whitey knelt beside them and put his hand on Lucas's back.

"Lucas…look at me, son." he told the boy and he cradled his head in one hand and grabbed his shoulder with the other. Lucas heard everyone calling his name but it sounded far away. The pain in his shoulder was making it too hard to think. He finally lifted his head and tried to look around. The people around him looked like blurry figures and he couldn't make them out. Scared, he just gripped his shoulder harder and blinked his eyes. Nathan watched his brother look around, dazed.

"Luke?" Haley asked from where she stood behind Nathan. Lucas looked around, trying to conclude which blurry figure was saying what to him. He raised his head and the bright lights shone in his eyes. He looked back down quickly but didn't see anything else as the pain caused his world to go black.

"Lucas!" Nathan yelled as his brother passed out. Nathan reached out and caught his brother, laying his limp body in his lap.

"Haley! Go get help!" Nathan yelled as Whitey quickly went to go get the team's doctor.

Nathan cradled his brother's head in his lap and regretted everything. He shouldn't have held a grudge against Lucas when he hadn't really done anything. He shouldn't have been that hard on him. Nathan was in the middle of his own little world when the paramedics rushed in. They pushed him away and loaded Lucas onto the stretcher, carrying him away through the big gym doors. Nathan watched, stunned, as they took his brother away. Haley and Brooke came up behind him and Haley buried her head in his chest.

He ran his fingers through her hair and embraced her.

"He'll be okay, Hales. He'll be okay…" he assured her.

Brooke came up and looked at Nathan. He sighed as he saw the worry in her eyes and he put a hand on her back.

"C'mon, let's go see him. He led the way to the parking lot and Haley and Brooke followed close behind.

---

Nathan, Haley, Brooke, Peyton, Whitey, and some of the guys from the team and the rivercourt sat in the waiting room waiting to hear how Lucas was doing. Finally, a doctor walked in.

"Who's here for Lucas Scott?" he asked, looking up.

Almost everyone in the waiting room stood and the doctor laughed.

"Okay, let's try again. Is anyone directly related to Lucas here?" he asked.

Nathan breathed deeply and Haley gave him a small push forward. Whitey nodded at his approvingly and Nathan followed the doctor around the corner.

"And you are…?" the doctor inquired.

"Oh…Nathan Scott. I'm his half-brother." Nathan said, shaking the doctor's hand.

"How is he…?" Nathan asked quickly.

The doctor stared at him.

"Your brother passed out from the exhaustion and pain in his shoulder." he explained.

"Yeah, Luke's been working hard, and he screwed up his shoulder in a car accident last year." Nathan said casually.

"We evaluated that and we think that the pain in his shoulder may not be just from that. We want to send him home tonight and bring him back tomorrow to review x-rays from tonight and run a CT scan. We think it may be more serious than the injury from the car accident." the doctor explained.

"Wha-What? What do mean, more serious than that?" Nathan asked.

"It may be nothing, Nathan. We just have to be sure." he explained.

"Is there any other family we can talk to or will you be escorting him tomorrow?" the doctor inquired.

"Um…his mom's in New Zealand so it'll take her a few days to get here and his dad, well, his dad won't need to know." Nathan said.

"So you will escort him here tomorrow?" he asked again.

Nathan hesitated a moment before nodding.

"Okay, Lucas is in the second door to the right." the doctor said, pointing. "He should be ready to leave in a few minutes."

Nathan thanked the doctor and shook his head, leaning back against the wall, waking it all in. After a few moments, he finally went toward Lucas's room. Stepping inside, he watched as Lucas sat on the edge of the bed, looking at his shoes.

"Here…" Nathan said suddenly, walking over and opening the tops of his shoes. Lucas put his feet in and left them untied, standing up quickly. He immediately swayed and lost his balance and Nathan reached out and caught him. Lucas looked at him.

"Why are you here…?" he asked, sitting back down. Nathan was taken aback by his comment and the raspy sound of his voice.

"I uh…we were…all worried about you, Lucas." he stammered.

Lucas just looked at him.

"I um…I realized when you fell tonight that I was wrong. I shouldn't have blamed everything on you. I guess, I guess I was just mad with everything going on with Haley and my parents and everything and you were the only person I knew would take it." he explained sincerely.

Lucas opened his mouth to say something but smiled to himself as Nathan continued.

"I don't know…when you were having trouble this week and everything was building up and then you passed out tonight, I guess I miss what we had this summer, Lucas. I miss being able to talk to you about stuff. I miss…my brother." Nathan finally finished.

Lucas smiled.

"I missed you too, Nate." he said, laughing.

'You're laughing at me!" Nathan said smiling.

"Only because your apologies are always insanely lame…" Lucas said, laughing.

Nathan laughed and stood in front of Lucas.

"Alright, you ready to go then?" Nathan asked, slinging Lucas's bag over his shoulder and extending his hand. He helped Lucas stand and put his hand on his back, supporting him as they walked slowly towards the waiting room.

When they emerged, Haley ran up to Lucas and threw her arms around him.

"Lucas! What happened! Are you okay?" she asked.

Lucas smiled and rubbed her back.

"I'm fine, Hales. I'm fine…" he told her, smiling at the tears in her eyes as she looked up at him.

"Aww, Hales. Don't cry, I'm fine, okay? Everything's okay…" he said, enveloping her into a hug once more. He looked at Nathan as he hugged her and Nathan stared at him quizzically. He shook his head, trying to communicate with him that he didn't want anyone to know yet. Haley finally pulled back and smiled.

"I'll see you tomorrow, okay?" Lucas said, turning away.

Haley nodded and went over to Nathan to say good-bye. Brooke casually walked over to Lucas.

"You okay, Luke?" she asked softly, running her hand over the strap of the sling on his shoulder. He nodded and smiled, looking down at her hand. He grabbed it in his own and smiled down at her.

"I'm glad you came…" he said to her softly.

"I was worried about you…" she admitted quietly.

He nodded and kissed her cheek.

"Thanks…" he said, turning away and walking after Nathan.

---

The next morning, Nathan pulled his car into Lucas's driveway and honked the horn. Lucas came out of the house dressed in jeans and his grey hoodie and sat down in the front seat next to Nathan, closing the door behind him.

"You ready?" Nathan asked simply.

Lucas just stared out the window and nodded.

It was a silent ride to the hospital and neither of them said anything throughout the entire wait to be seen. Nathan sat with his head leaned back against the wall after Lucas was called back for the CT scan. It seemed to take forever as he watched the seconds tick by slowly on the clock on the wall. Finally, he sighed as the doctor remerged.

"Nathan? Would you come with me please?" he asked.

Nathan got up and followed to doctor to a room around the corner. He entered and sat down in the chair beside Lucas, putting a reassuring hand on his arm.

"You okay?" he whispered.

Lucas nodded.

The doctor sat down across from both of them and looked down at the films of transparent paper.

"Lucas, after examining the results of the x-rays and the CT scan, we've concluded that the pain you've been feeling in your shoulder and the exhaustion is not from your previous injuries." the doctor explained.

"Then, what's wrong with me?" Lucas asked, worried.

"Lucas, we suspect that you have osteosarcoma."

Lucas and Nathan both stared at him blankly.

"You have cancer, Lucas."


	3. Denial and Acceptance

Chapter 2

Lucas stared at the man in disbelief. His hands started to shake and he could feel the blood pumping in his head. The silence in the room rang loudly his ears and his heart pounded in his chest.

"No…" he whispered, more to himself than anyone else, as he stood up from his chair.

"Lucas, please, we need to discuss your—"

"No!" Lucas cut the doctor off suddenly. He took the black sling from his shoulder and tossed it casually onto the man's desk. Grabbing his jacket, he walked in silence towards the door.

"Lucas! Wait!" Nathan called after him.

Nathan watched as his he turned around in the doorway to face him. For the first time since they'd heard the news, Nathan met eyes with his brother. The look in Lucas's eyes caused Nathan's breath to catch in his throat and he didn't protest again when Lucas turned again and left the room.

"I should, uh, probably…" Nathan started, gesturing towards the door.

"I know this is a lot to take in right now, son."

Nathan tried to listen to the doctor as he got up from his chair and gathered the pamphlets given to them. He tried to focus on what the man was saying, but everything seemed to run together, like when someone tries to tell you something right after you wake up in the morning and you just can't focus. Something about calling someone, something about another test, something about treatment…it was no use. It made no sense; he felt overwhelmed and blocked everything out. Finally, Nathan stopped him.

"I need to go find Lucas…" he said firmly, taking off out the door.

Lucas ran down the sidewalks of Tree Hill feeling the breeze blow all around him. His legs felt weak as he managed to get farther and farther from the hospital. His head was spinning, making him feel as if his world had suddenly been turned upside down. He couldn't shake this feeling and he couldn't tell what exactly it was either. Sadness? Grief? Anger? …Denial? He ignored his aching legs and kept running. He couldn't stop. He had to go somewhere else, anywhere else. His shoulder throbbed but he concentrated on ignoring it. He told himself it wasn't hurting, that he was just imagining it. This couldn't really be happening. He was only 16! He couldn't be sick! It was just an injury from last year, he wasn't really sick. Lucas just kept running, lost in thought.

Nathan drove down the streets in his car searching for Lucas. He glanced over at the packet of cancer pamphlets in the passenger seat beside him, and quickly reached over, tossing them into the backseat. He didn't know how to handle this! He and Lucas had just now started getting along again! His mom was gone, Karen wasn't even in the freakin' country, and there was no way in hell that Dan would even care! Lucas didn't have anyone else to turn to right then but him, and that scared him. He and Lucas had never been very "brotherly" and now that they were just getting back to being civil to one another again, he was being thrown into the protective brother role. And he had no idea how to do that. How was he supposed to help Lucas if he couldn't even get his own head together! Nathan was suddenly torn from his thoughts as he spotted Lucas sitting solemnly on a bench outside a small bookstore. He pulled over and jogged across the street, slowing before he got to him.

"Hey, man…" he said softly.

"Hey…"

"You, uh, you okay?" Nathan asked hesitantly as he sat down beside him.

Lucas stared straight ahead, as if staring through everything in front of him, and nodded slowly, not wanting Nathan to see the tears that burned his eyes. He wasn't sick, he couldn't be. He finally turned his head and looked towards his brother only to see Nathan's eyes glazed over and his face grim. His breath caught in his chest and he quickly turned his head away as the tears spilled over for the first time sine he'd heard the news. The reality hit him hard, leaving him with the feeling of being punched in the stomach. He was wrong, this was real. He was sick. Nathan put his head in his hands as Lucas cried in silence beside him. He sat quietly, knowing that this was it, Lucas finally knew this was real, this was really happening. Nathan listened as Lucas finally took a deep, shaky breath and instinctively put his hand on his brother's back. Lucas turned to face straight ahead again.

"It's gonna be okay, Luke…" he said softly.

Lucas nodded slowly. Nathan got up from where he sat and stuck out his hand, pulling Lucas to his feet. Putting an encouraging hand on Lucas's back, Lucas nodded again, knowing what Nathan meant without words.

"C'mon…" Nathan said, following behind him to the car.

Nathan walked through the bedroom door to find Lucas sprawled out over the top of his bed, the sling now back on his shoulder. He smiled to himself and softly walked over, thumping him on the top of the head. Lucas immediately opened his eyes and sat up on the edge of the bed.

"Whoa, man, did you get any sleep at all last night?" Nathan asked, somewhat concerned.

Lucas smiled and laughed slightly, shaking his head. Nathan sat down beside him and for a moment, there was an awkward silence. He hadn't talked to Lucas since the afternoon before, when he'd dropped him off at home.

"So…I called the hospital last night…" Nathan said hesitantly.

"And…?"

"And you have to go in on Wednesday morning to talk about your options and have some special test, a bone biopsy, whatever that is…" Nathan said as casually as he possibly could.

"Great…" Lucas responded sarcastically, laying back down on his back on the bed, staring up at the ceiling as Nathan still sat on the edge.

"Luke, don't worry about it, man. I told you, you'll, we'll, get through this…so when's your mom gonna get home?" Nathan added quickly.

There was a long pause before Nathan realized the situation and groaned.

"Lucas! Tell me you called and told her!" he pleaded.

Lucas sat up and stared at his feet, shaking his head.

"Lucas! You have to talk to her! This is serious!" Nathan told him.

"I know that! Don't you think I know that! Don't you think I want my mom here during all of this!" he suddenly fired back.

Nathan stared at him, a little taken aback by his response.

"I did talk to her…she called last night…" he said slowly.

"If you didn't tell her you're sick then what did you tell her!"

"I told her congratulations…she's engaged, man." Lucas said quietly, laying back to stare at the ceiling again.

"Andy?"

Lucas nodded.

"I always wanted my mom to find love. Granted, I wanted it to be with Keith, but, still, she's finally happy, Nate. I can't just take that away from her!" Lucas explained, clearly distraught.

"Lucas! She'll kill you for not telling her! She'll want to be here!"

"I know that! But if she comes back now, she and Andy may never get their chance."

Nathan gave him a confused look, cocking his eyebrow.

"Dan had Andy deported…so until he becomes a citizen, he can't come back to the states. But if he marries my mom in New Zealand, he can come back with her before all the citizen stuff is settled." Lucas explained, clearly knowing the dilemma he was in.

Nathan just nodded solemnly, not knowing how to respond.

"I want to do this…I'll tell her soon, I swear." He said.

Nathan nodded during another slightly awkward silence.

"You're gonna tell Brooke though, right?"

"No!"

"Lucas!"

"What! I don't want to tell her now! We're doing good, man. She's finally realizing that I'm there and that I love her. I don't want her to be with me just because she feels sorry for me or feels like she needs to. I want things to keep going the way they are, but I want it to happen because it's meant to. I want it to happen because we love each other…and you can't tell Haley either." He added quickly.

"Lucas! Are you freakin' kidding me! She's my wife and your best friend! She deserves to know!"

"I know! I know she does, okay! And I'm going to tell her…when I can. I don't want to worry her until I know exactly what's going on. I don't want anyone but you to know until then, okay! Look, I know this whole fight between us over the summer was because you trusted me and I lied to you. But you said you've forgiven me! So, here's the test, Nate. I need you to trust me again."

They both sat in silence. Nathan stared at Lucas.

"Okay…" he responded finally. "I trust you…but you have to do the same, okay? If something bad happens, I'm going to tell someone. I have to. I trust your judgment, I do, I just…I'm guess I'm just worried, man. I don't want you thinking that you're doing this alone. You have to trust that I'm trying to help you, I want you to know that I'm here during all this." He said quickly, embarrassed by his little speech.

Lucas smiled and nodded. Nathan got up and took his brother's hand, pulling him to his feet. They slapped hands and Nathan hit Lucas's back, picking up his bag and following him out the door.

---

**Ok- first of all, wow! I have never gotten this many responses for one chapter of a fanfic! Thanks so so so much y'all! Your reviews keep me writing! Sorry this chapter was short but just so you know, I have already written Chapters 3 and 4 and have sent them off to my lovely beta, Jen. So look for two new updates this week! Thanks again for the reviews! I'll try and do shout-outs next chapter! Luv y'all:) -Justine**


	4. Making It Through

Chapter 3

Lucas sat slumped forward in his chair and tried to focus on the lecture. Resting his chin in his hands, his eyelids felt like bricks and the light from the slideshow was making his head hurt. His head slowly sank lower and lower until he was laying on his arm on the desk. Peyton thumped the top of his head and he immediately sat up again, rubbing his heavy eyes.

"C'mon sleepyhead, you gotta stay awake. What's wrong with you today?"

Lucas just shook his head.

"Nothing, just tired…" he said, trying again to focus on the screen.

When the bell finally rang, Nathan kissed Haley's cheek as she rushed off to the tutoring center and watched the students file out of the classroom. Picking up his own books and turning around, he saw Lucas asleep on his desk. He walked over and shook him gently.

"Lucas…c'mon." he said.

Lucas slowly rose and opened his eyes, looking around.

"Is school over, yet?" he asked sleepily.

Nathan laughed and shook his head sympathetically.

"Nope, sorry, man. Only first period…"

Lucas groaned and slowly got up from his chair, shaking his head, trying to wake himself up.

"You okay?" Nathan asked him, picking up Lucas's books. "Can you make it til lunch?"

"Yeah, yeah…just really tired…weak, I guess." He mumbled.

"To be expected…just take it easy, okay. I can take you back home during lunch break."

Lucas nodded and walked slowly towards the door. Nathan put his hand on Lucas's back and helped him walk straight into the hallway.

"C'mon, man. You can do this…"

---

Haley came up behind Nathan and put her arms around his waist.

"Hey, Luke. Hey, baby." She greeted the brothers. Lucas smiled and greeted her and Nathan kissed her quickly. Lucas had stuffed his backpack into his locker and was trying to pull his chemistry book out with one hand when he was forced around from behind. He spun around to face a beautiful brunette staring into his eyes.

"Hey, boyfriend…I missed you this weekend," Brooke greeted.

He smiled and laughed, tucking her hair behind her ear.

"What?"

"Nothing, it's just nice to hear you call me boyfriend in public again…" he told her.

She smiled sweetly at him and kissed him softly. He brushed her cheek with his hand and then wrapped it around her waist, kissing her. He felt her rub his neck with one hand and put her other hand up against his chest. He felt her softly press against him and his head spun, forgetting how tired he was, forgetting how his head hurt. He loved her, and this is what he'd been wanting, for her to love him back. He kissed her again and again and felt her press her hand against his chest. She stepped forward and he stepped back as she pushed forward. Suddenly, she pushed again and Lucas was up against the lockers. Lucas felt his shoulder slam against the locker and searing pains ran down his arm. He immediately shoved Brooke away from him with one hand and then grabbed his shoulder. His knees buckled beneath him and he slid to the ground. His head started to pound and suddenly the footsteps in the hallway seemed louder. His head felt heavy and he tried to keep it from falling. He sat on the ground, gripping his shoulder hard and trying his best to keep the pain from taking over him.

"Lucas!" Nathan said, kneeling down next to his brother.

Brooke looked at her boyfriend, confused, kneeling down next to him, feeling Haley kneel beside her. Ignoring the weird looks they were getting from the other students in the hallway, Haley scooted closer, putting her hand on Lucas's side, feeling his body shaking

"We need to lay him down…" Haley instructed Nathan.

Slowly, they lowered him to lay flat on the cold, tile floor in the middle of the hallway. Lucas was still gripping his shoulder and his eyes were shut tightly.

"Lucas, are you okay? C'mon, man, you gotta talk to me…" Nathan said to him. "C'mon, Luke, you gotta talk to us…"

Lucas couldn't talk, the pain in his shoulder was worse than ever before and it took everything he had to keep from crying out.

"What's wrong with him? Nathan, what's wrong?" Haley asked, worried.

Brooke sat beside Lucas, stroking his hair. "Luke? Lucas, c'mon, talk to me. I'm sorry, Broody, I didn't mean to, c'mon baby, talk to me." she pleaded with him.

After another minute or two of pleading, Lucas finally opened his eyes. He felt like his world was being rocked back and forth, everything was blurry, and his head was pounding. His shoulder felt like it was on fire, burning and throbbing.

"Lucas?" Nathan asked again. "Talk to me, man. Are you okay?"

"Yeah…really dizzy…" he managed to say into space, not being able to pinpoint where his brother's voice was coming from.

"We're gonna try and get you outside now, okay? We're gonna help you get to the car, Luke." he said, racking his brain for something to tell Haley and Brooke to hide what had happened. Nathan slid his hand under Lucas's waist and it took all his strength to lift his brother's limp body up.

"C'mon, Luke. You're gonna have to help me a little, man."

He started to slip and Haley quickly reached out and caught the other side. Hitting his shoulder again, Lucas groaned loudly.

"I know it hurts. C'mon, man…you can do this. Just help us out a little…" Nathan pleaded, trying to help Lucas stand.

Lucas heard his brother talking as if through a concrete wall. It sounded muffled and far away. The pain in his shoulder was overwhelming. He couldn't think about anything else. He felt Nathan push him forward and put one foot in front of the other.

"Good, good. C'mon, man. Just a few more steps…" he said approvingly.

Slowly, they made it all the way to the entrance to the school. Nathan took one arm away and quickly tossed his keys to Brooke.

"Bring the car around…I don't think he can make it all the way there…" Nathan said.

It seemed to take forever before Brooke got back. He worried as Lucas's limp body swayed back and forth.

"Nathan, what's wrong with him!" Haley asked again.

"He, um, he told you. Remember? He screwed up his shoulder again pretty bad…they said um, he's been working too hard. They said the pain could make him pass out…" Nathan told her quickly. He avoided her eyes, he didn't like lying to her. When Brooke pulled up, they carefully laid Lucas across the backseat. Brooke kissed Lucas's forehead gently.

"I'm sorry, Broody. I didn't mean to…" she told him before shutting the door.

Nathan climbed into the driver's seat and turned as Haley opened the passenger door.

"Hales, you need to stay here…he'll be fine. I'm taking him to get some pain killers, okay? He'll be fine, I promise…" Nathan told her, lying to her again.

"Um…okay, if you say so…I'll be over after school…" she finally said, seeing the pleading look in Nathan's eyes. She shut the door and Nathan sped off.

---

Nathan sat on the top of the coffee table and laid Lucas down on the couch. Putting a pillow behind his head he reached over and took Lucas's wrist.

"C'mon, man…you gotta let go of your shoulder…here, put some ice on it…"

"No…no, it hurts…" Lucas pleaded, trying to resist as Nathan pried his hand from his shoulder.

"I know, man. C'mon, this'll help…" he assured him.

Lucas finally gave up, too weak to fight back, and let Nathan take his hand from his shoulder. He felt the blood pulsing through it, bringing a new surge of pain with each pulse. Nathan placed an ice pack on his brother's shoulder and a wet rag on his head.

"You okay, Luke?" he asked again.

"Dizzy…" he managed to say.

"We're going to the hospital tomorrow…can you make it til then?"

Lucas nodded, immediately regretting it as his head pounded.

"Okay, try and get some rest, man." He said, getting up.

"What about Brooke and Haley…?"

"Don't worry about it…I'll take care of it, your secret's safe…"

"Just…tell Brooke it's not her fault…" he managed to say before closing his eyes.

"I know, I know, don't worry about it. Just get some rest, Luke." Nathan told him with no purpose since Lucas was already half asleep.

---

Lucas awoke to someone calling out his name. He slowly opened his eyes and looked around, focusing his sleepy eyes.

"Hey, Luke. How ya doin?" Haley asked him softly, sitting on the edge of the couch next to him.

He smiled at her and noticed Nathan sitting in the chair across the room.

"You feelin' any better?" Nathan asked from where he sat.

"Yeah, much better. I don't know what happened…" he lied as Nathan smirked from the corner.

Haley stroked Lucas's face and helped him sit up.

"I'm okay now, Hales." He laughed seeing Haley's pleading eyes.

She wrapped her arms gently around his waist and leaned into his chest. He laughed again, kissing the top of her head.

"Hales, it's okay, I promise…" he told her again.

She leaned back and looked into his eyes. He looked pale and his eyes still looked tired. She stroked his face.

"Please, Luke. Please tell me what's wrong…" she pleaded with him.

"I told you, Hales. My shoulder's hurt. The pain was too much, made me dizzy." He lied.

"Luke! Don't do this to me! I've known you way too long for you to lie to me! Please, tell me what's wrong!" she pleaded again.

He looked into her sad eyes and then looked to Nathan. He looked back sympathetically, not knowing what to say.

"Just tell her, man…" he finally said.

He looked back to her and then looked down at the ground.

"What's really wrong, Luke?" she asked again.

"I'm sick…" he said simply.

She looked at him quizzically and scooted closer, taking his hand.

"I…I have cancer, Hales…" he said slowly, staring at the ground.

Tears welled up his her eyes and she lifted his chin to meet his eyes. He had tears in his eyes too and her tears spilled over. He put his hand behind her head and pulled it to his chest. He felt her tears soak through his thin shirt and ran his fingers through her hair.

"It's okay, Hales…it's gonna be okay…" he told her softly.

"Why didn't you tell me!" she asked him, pulling away.

"I didn't want you to worry about me." he told her sincerely.

"Luke, you're my best friend. It comes with the job description!"

They both laughed and Lucas wiped away Haley's tears.

"H-How bad is it, Luke?" she asked.

"I um, we don't know yet…"

Nathan saw the tears building in his brother's eyes and stepped in, sitting down beside Haley, taking her hand.

"He goes in for a test tomorrow. Then they're gonna tell us more about the treatment and stuff…" he explained, taking the burden from Lucas.

"When's your mom coming home…?" she asked.

Slowly, the entire story spilled out, about not wanting his mom to know, about Andy, about Brooke, everything.  
"Well, then I'm going with you tomorrow." She decided, worried about her friend.

"Hales…I don't want you to worry."

"Lucas, I'll worry more about you if I go to school all day. Please, please, Lucas…" she told him, giving him her infamous puppy-dog eyes.

"Hales! Don't make that face at me!" he pleaded.

"Okay, okay…" he finally said.

"Alright, we gotta get going…" Nathan said, getting up.

"Are you really letting him to go basketball practice?" she asked, pulling Nathan aside.

"He knows if he skips it, then people will get suspicious. He doesn't want people to know yet, babe." He explained. "I'm not gonna let anything happen."

She smiled and kissed him softly.

"What was that for?" he asked quietly, smiling.

"For taking care of Lucas…I trust you, Nate. Do what you gotta do." She told him. She kissed him goodbye, hugged Lucas and then left the house.

---

At practice, Nathan waited until everyone had left the locker room and then helped his brother change into his jersey. Pulling it over his head, he winced and shut his eyes tightly.

"Has it gotten worse?" he asked.

Lucas kept his eyes shut tightly and nodded.

"Okay, just tell Whitey your shoulder's bothering you and sit it out. Don't push it."

Lucas nodded again and followed Nathan out to the gym.

"Alright, boys! Suicides! Line up!" Whitey yelled.

The team lined up on the sideline and crouched down, ready for the whistle.

"Too bad it's workout day, not practice day, Scott. If it was practice day, you probably could've sat this one out…" Tim Smith yelled, noticing the sling on Lucas's shoulder.

"Lucas, don't do this. You need to sit out…" Nathan told Lucas discreetly.

"I have to…they'll know…" Lucas said, lining up beside him.

The whistle started and they team took off, running up and down the court. After only three, Lucas was lagging behind. He knew he wasn't running straight because the ground felt like the ground was rocking. When he reached the sideline, everyone took off for the fifth round but he stopped and crouched over, holding his head. Whitey jogged over and put his hand on Lucas's back.

"What's wrong, son? Are you okay?"

Lucas just groaned, holding his head in both hands. Nathan jogged over and helped his brother stand up straight for what seemed like the millionth time that day.

"Take him to my office, Nate." Whitey told him, giving instructions to the team to keep running.

Lucas slung his other arm around Nathan's shoulders and Nathan put his arm around Lucas's waist, helping him walk to Whitey's office and sitting him down slowly in the chair.

"I thought I could do it…" Lucas mumbled.

"I know, it's okay. Just tell Whitey the truth."

"No! I already told Haley! Don't make me tell someone else!"

"C'mon, Lucas. You're going to have to have an adult with you for some of these tests at the hospital and right now, the only other option you have is Dan."

Lucas winced, both at the thought of Dan and his aching head.

"But he'll tell the team!"

"No he won't, man. Just tell Whitey!"

"Tell Whitey what?" the man asked, walking into his office and sitting down at the desk.

"Lucas has something he needs to tell you…" Nathan explained.

"Alright, let's hear it, son." Whitey responded, directing his attention Lucas who was still holding his head.

"I can't practice…" Lucas mumbled.

"I've gathered that, Scott. Now, would you like to inform me as to why?"

Lucas shook his head.

"C'mon, man…" Nathan coaxed.

Lucas looked up into the old coach's sympathetic eyes.

"I um, have cancer…" Lucas drew out slowly, for the second time that day, waiting for the man's response.

Without saying a word, the man got up and walked over to where Lucas sat. Lucas stood up, still waiting for Whitey to say something, but he didn't. Instead, his coach took him into his arms and held him.

"You haven't told your mom, have you?" Whitey inquired, already knowing the answer.

Nathan shook his head and again, the story spilled out. Lucas sat back down and Whitey stood over him, his hand on his back. Nathan told the coach everything, about the tests, about not wanting to tell anyone. Whitey stood silently and nodded. After a long discussion, Whitey agreed to accompany Lucas to the hospital as his adult guardian.

"Hey, Luke. Why don't you go out to the car and I'll meet you there."

Lucas nodded and walked out of the room, taking the keys. Once he was gone, Nathan turned to Whitey.

"You're not gonna call Karen, are you?" he asked, worried.

Whitey shook his head and Nathan looked relieved.

"If I know Lucas, and I do, no one will have to…he will, and soon." Whitey said knowingly.

Nathan smiled and nodded.

"Thanks coach…see you tomorrow."

---

**Hey everybody! Thanks so much for the reviews! They definitely keep me writing more! I can't seem to get in touch of either of my betas for this story so I apologize for any mistakes in this chapter! Haha! Well, don't' forget to let me know what you liked/didn't like, want to see more of/less of, etc. Please let me know what you think! It really helps me! Thanks so much! Enjoy! -Justine**


	5. Normal Isn't Easy Anymore

**Symmy**: So glad you're enjoying it! Your PM is what made me post this tonight! Haha! Hope you're not disappointed with this chapter. I'll try and get another chapter out this weekend. Thanks for reviewing:)

**Mythology**: Thanks so much for reviewing! I appreciate it:)

**NaleyBrucasFan- aka Lizzy**: I'm finally back! So now you don't have to wait any longer! Hahaha, hope you enjoy the new chapter! Thanks so much for reviewing:)

**X3loveyou**: So glad you like the story. I was trying to figure out who Lucas should tell first but I thought Haley and Whitey would be best. Who finds out next…I guess you'll have to read and find out…! Haha, thanks so much for reviewing:)

**Anamalia-fear**: Here's the new update! Thanks so much for reviewing:)

**Iftheyonlyknewthetruth**: I agree- I've always liked the Lucas/Haley friendship aspect and I think it's important that Lucas has someone that knows what he's feeling even when he can't show it. Here's the new chapter- hope you like it! Thanks so much for reviewing:)

**Aqua Mage**: Thanks! I like how everyone is trying to help Lucas in different ways. Here's the new update! Hope you like it! Thanks for reviewing:)

**Camilla19**: Eee! Just so you know, your review made my day! Thanks so so much for the awesome comment you left! Here's the new update, hope you like it! Thanks for reviewing:)

**Lucasscottlover1**: Your comment was so awesome! Thanks so much! I'm a big fan of Lucas/Nathan too. It's a lot easier to write Lucas/Nathan now that I have them on better terms with each other. Haha. Thanks so much for reviewing:) (you need to update your stories too!)

---

**Whew! I think it's against ff rules to do shout-outs in every chapter so I'm only going to do it every 3 or 4. I always think it's nice when the writer responds to my comments so I figured I'd do the same for y'all! Here's the new chapter! Definitely not the greatest but the best is yet to come! Hope you all enjoy it! –Justine :)**

---

Chapter 4

Nathan awoke from where he slept on Lucas's couch to find his brother asleep on the chair next to him, the television still on. He pulled himself off the couch and shook his brother gently. Lucas opened his eyes and rubbed them, realizing what the day held in store for him.

"Morning, man. At least you got some sleep…" Nathan said.

Lucas nodded, getting up slowly from the chair.

"Go get dressed, I'll meet you at the car in a couple minutes." Nathan instructed.

Lucas nodded again and made his way to his room. Pulling on a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt, he looked at himself in the mirror. This was it, the day that would change his life. Lucas shook his head and left his room.

Nathan climbed into the driver's seat of the car and started the engine.

"You okay today?"

Lucas nodded.

---

They walked into the waiting room to find Haley and Whitey already waiting for them. Haley got up and hugged her friend gently.

"You okay, Luke?" she asked softly.

He smiled bravely and nodded again.

"Lucas Scott?" a small blonde woman called from the hallway. Whitey rose and put a strong hand on Lucas's shoulder and they all followed the girl back to a small room. They all took a seat and sat in silence until the doctor walked in moments later. He laughed and sat down.

"You brought the whole clan, did you, Mr. Scott?" he asked, smiling.

Lucas kept a solemn face and nodded again.

Whitey stuck out his hand to shake the man's.

"This is Nathan, Lucas's brother, Haley, his sister-in-law, and my name is Whitey Durham, his basketball coach." He explained.

The doctor nodded and wrote something on his clipboard.

"Neither of his parents are here? Let's see…Karen Roe? Or…Mayor Dan Scott?" the doctor asked, clearly surprised as he read his father's name.

Whitey shook his head. Karen is currently out of the country and she told me to take care of everything until she gets back…"

"So she has indeed been informed?" the doctor inquired.

"Yes she has…" Whitey lied.

Nathan looked to Whitey and surprise and he smiled knowingly.

"Okay, well, Mr. Scott. I understand you're here today to undergo a bone biopsy and talk over your treatment options."

Lucas nodded again.

"Okay, well, first we'll perform the biopsy and from the results, we'll be able to discuss your options…" the doctor explained.

Lucas looked to Nathan for help.

"Um, what exactly is involved in the um, the, thing you said…" Nathan asked.

"The bone biopsy?"

Nathan nodded.

"Well, we need to get a sample of bone marrow from Lucas's shoulder. We'll use local anesthesia so he'll be awake during the whole thing but won't be completely aware of what's going on. We'll insert a thin needle into his shoulder and extract a sample of the bone marrow to analyze. Normally, it would be inserted into his hip, but since we know where the cancer started, we believe it would be more beneficial to use his shoulder."

Everyone sat in silence and nodded, taking in the information. Lucas broke the silence to speak for the first time since they'd arrived.

"Is it going to hurt?" he asked, feeling embarrassed by his childlike question.

The doctor smiled slightly.

"I'm not going to lie to you, Lucas. It will be uncomfortable. The medicine will make it easier. Your reaction should be delayed and the procedure only lasts a minute or two."

Lucas nodded again.

"Do you have any other questions?" the doctor asked everyone. Everyone shook their heads and the doctor stood up.

"Alright, Lucas. Let's get started. If you'll please follow Skylar, she'll get you set up." He said, motioning to the nurse standing in the doorway.

Everyone stood up and Nathan suddenly spoke.

"Can we go with him?" he asked quickly.

"I'm sorry, Nathan. You can all wait in the waiting room. I will come get you when he's finished. You will be able to see him immediately afterwards." He explained. "Alright, Lucas. Just follow Skylar when you're ready." He said, leaving the room.

Lucas turned to face everyone as they now stood in the hallway. Haley came up and hugged her friend gently.

"It'll be okay, Luke. I'll be there when you're done, okay? It'll all be okay…" she said, trying her best to comfort him. He nodded and smiled bravely at her. She waved once more and walked down the hallway to the waiting room. Whitey then stepped forward. He hugged the boy silently and then patted his back.

"You'll be fine, son. We'll be there when you're done." He assured him quietly. Lucas nodded again and Whitey patted his shoulder gently before walking away. Nathan then stepped up to his brother and hesitantly put his arm around him.

"You gonna be okay, Luke…?"

Lucas nodded. "I wish you all could come with me…" he finally admitted, clearly embarrassed again.

Nathan nodded. "I know, but we'll be there when you're done. You can do this, Luke. I know you can do this." He assured him. He bumped fists with his brother and then left, feeling his breath catch in his chest seeing the fear in his brother's eyes when he smiled.

---

Lucas watched his brother walk away and took a deep breath. He turned around to see the young girl smiling at him. He tried to smile back but just followed the girl down the hall. He was lead into a big room at the end of the hallway and the door swung shut behind them. There were a lot of people in the room, bustling around, not even noticing as he entered. Sitting behind the table, the doctor from the office smiled at him and motioned for him to come over. Lucas walked over and stood beside the doctor next to the table.

"Okay, Lucas. Can you remove your sweatshirt, please?"

Lucas hesitated, putting his hand to his shoulder. He slowly loosened the strap of the sling and pulled it from around his neck, keeping his arm in place in front of him. He handed the sling to the doctor who put it aside. Another young nurse came up behind him and put her hand on his back.

"Here, let me help you…" she said sweetly. He nodded, not protesting as she put her hands under the bottom of his shirt lifting it slightly. He held his shoulder and let her pull it past his good arm, leaving it hanging from his bad shoulder.

"Okay…" she said, stepping back. He let go of his arm and lifted his shirt over his head. It pulled his arm up and he groaned loudly as his shirt finally fell to the floor.

"Good job, Lucas. Okay, now can you lay down for me?" the doctor asked, motioning towards the table in front of them. Lucas took a deep breath and cradled his arm as he laid back on the cold bed. He looked up and blinked at all the bright lights that shone in his eyes. Two men stood over him and stared into his eyes.

"Okay, Lucas. We're going to give you something now to make you a little more comfortable…" the man said, taking Lucas's shaking hand.

"You're going to have to stop shaking, son…" the other man said.

"I can't…" Lucas croaked.

Lucas laid back and closed his eyes, feeling the IV being inserted into his left hand. His hand tingled and he looked at the doctor and the doctor smiled.

"Okay, you're going to start feeling a little more comfortable…" he assured him, moving to his right side and sitting on a stool by his bad shoulder. Lucas's head felt light and the lights seemed duller. His hands stopped shaking and he smiled at the man involuntarily.

"Feeling better…?" the man asked, laughing slightly at Lucas's drunken appearance.

Lucas suddenly felt fine, forgetting his worries and his shoulder. He watched the doctors place paper around his shoulder and he smiled at them, not caring why they were doing what they were doing.

The doctor took Lucas's bad arm from where it was cradled on his chest and straightened it, laying it out straight next to him. Lucas felt the man prodding his shoulder but for some reason, the pain wasn't bothering him. He could feel it, but he felt high, not caring what was happening. He smiled to himself, he liked this feeling. He heard the doctor talking to him from behind the small sheet that had been put between Lucas's face and shoulder. The man told him that he was starting, to take deep breaths to help with the pain. Lucas smiled, pain was the furthest thing from his mind. He felt like he was floating. Suddenly, he was jerked back into reality and that feeling was gone, as if it had never been there in the first place. He felt the needle being inserted into his bad shoulder and the pain hit him. The pressure in his shoulder spread through his arm and into his chest, a crushing pressure that he had never even imagined possible. He let out a small groan and took shallow breaths through his mouth, as if out of breath after a basketball game.

"I know, just take deep breaths…it's in now, don't move…" someone told him. He couldn't listen. His eyes were squeezed shut and he tried to breathe deeply. He let out another loud groan as the pressure got even worse, something he didn't think was possible. It was no use breathing deeply, nothing was helping. He tried to overcome it, he tried to think of good things. He thought about Brooke, about playing basketball at the rivercourt, about playing mini golf with Haley, about his mom. Nothing was helping. He squeezed his eyes tighter, feeling hot tears run down the sides of his face. The pain was overwhelming. Just as he called out again, the pressure subsided. He felt the needle being pulled out and someone rubbing his shoulder. He took short, shallow breaths and tried to calm his nerves.

"Okay, Lucas…we're done. Take some deep breaths, it's all over…" the doctor told him smiling. The man laid a mask on top of Lucas's face and bent down next to him.

"We're going to give you something for the pain now, okay?"

Lucas gratefully nodded. His shoulder was burning and he could feel the blood pulsing through it. He blinked his eyes quickly, embarrassed by his tears. He felt something being pushed through his IV and his eyes felt heavy. He let himself succumb to his drowsiness and closed his eyes for a moment.

---

It had only felt like a moment or two but when Lucas opened his eyes again, he was lying in another bed, in a completely different room. He had his sweatshirt on again and the sling was back in place. His shoulder was killing him, more than before the stupid test. He looked groggily around the room and saw the young nurse standing at the table beside him. She smiled at him sympathetically.

"They never tell you how much it will actually hurt, do they?" she laughed.

He smiled sleepily and shook his head. She handed him a small paper cup of cool water and he gratefully accepted it with a shaky hand. He drank it and handed it back. She smiled and turned back to him.

"You up to seeing your visitors, yet?"

He nodded and she smiled again before walking away.

The young woman led the group of three worried visitors to the boy's room and opened the door.

"He's still very groggy and his shoulder's giving him pain, but you're welcome to visit with him. The doctor will be in to talk with you all shortly." She explained.

They walked in the room to find Lucas sitting up sleepily in his bed. Haley rushed over to her friend's side and sat down carefully on the bed next to him. She put her hand up to his face and his tear-stained face brought tears to her own eyes.

"Hey, buddy…are you okay?" she asked.

"It hurt, Hales…" he said sleepily, his eyes heavy.

"I know, I know, it's all okay now."

She stroked his hair and then laid her head on his chest, letting him rub her back. Nathan and Whitey walked up and Whitey put a comforting hand on his good shoulder.

"You did good, son." He said simply. Lucas nodded and smiled, tired. Nathan came up and patted him on the back softly.

"I knew you could do it, Luke…" he said, sitting down in the chair next to Whitey.

Lucas closed his eyes and rubbed Haley's back. They all sat in silence as Lucas rested, not wanting to bother him. It was almost an hour afterwards before the doctor came in, carrying the all-too-familiar clipboard. Lucas opened his eyes and watched as he took a seat in the chair across the bed from everyone and looked at Whitey.

"Well, we've analyzed the results from today's biopsy and our predictions were confirmed. Lucas has osteosarcoma."

The doctor paused and Lucas closed his eyes and sighed.

"Now, the good news is that from the CT scan, we know that the cancer has not yet spread. It is confirmed just to his right shoulder at the present moment, so if we treat him soon, we can confine it and hopefully, he will go into remission."

Everyone nodded as the doctor went on further.

"Right now, we recommend a round of chemotherapy, followed by another biopsy and after analyzing that, a surgery could remove it. " he explained.

Lucas sighed again and closed his eyes, leaning his head back on the bed. Chemotherapy. He'd watched enough of the those weird medical shows to know what that meant. He didn't even want to hear it. But, he winced as Nathan asked the one question he didn't want to hear the answer to.

"How does that work?"

"Well, we'll set Lucas up a schedule to come in two or three times a week. He'll come in and most likely receive the drug through an IV. He'll have two or three days for his body to recover before coming in again. The side effects depend on the person. The most common side effects are extreme drowsiness, physical weakness, nausea, hair loss, headaches. It'll feel a lot like he has the flu."

"Oh…" Nathan said, taken aback at the explanation of the side effects.

"And then?" Whitey inquired.

"After the round of chemo, we'll do another bone biopsy, like the one he had done today."

Lucas winced at the thought of going through that again but didn't say anything.

"And then we'll be able to tell if the chemo worked. Once the cancer is killed, we'll probably perform surgery to remove the scar tissue and other things that have built up in his shoulder."

Whitey then nodded.

"You can take him home now if you like. We have the chemo schedule set up to start tomorrow…"

"That soon?" Whitey asked, concerned.

"Yes, sir. We want to get Lucas into remission as soon as possible."

Whitey nodded.

"Well, you're welcome to take him home now. We'll see him tomorrow." He said, getting up and handing Whitey a stack of papers before leaving the room.

After the doctor was gone, the room fell silent.

"You ready to go now, Luke?" Nathan asked, breaking the silence.

"Yeah, let's get the hell outta here." He said, lightening the mood.

Lucas swung his legs over the side of the bed and put his good arm around Nathan's shoulders. Nathan made sure to put his arm low around Lucas's waist and Whitey put a strong arm around Lucas's other side. Slowly, they made their way out of the room.

"You okay?" Haley asked, noticing how hard it was for Lucas to walk straight.

"Yeah…the drugs are making me dizzy." He said.

"C'mon, man. We're almost there…"

They made it to the car and Lucas laid down in the backseat, not even waiting until the car started to fall fast asleep.

Whitey came up and hugged Haley.

"He's gonna be okay, right, coach?" she asked, worry filled her voice.

"He'll be fine. Lucas is strong, he'll get through this…" Whitey assured them both.

"Thanks for being here, coach…" Nathan added, hugging the man.

"You're doing good, Nate. Take care of him. Don't worry about practice. I'll be by to check on him tomorrow afternoon…bye, you two." He said, taking off towards his own car.

Haley turned to Nathan and buried her head in his chest. He stroked her hair and kissed the top of her head gently.

"He'll be okay, Hales…please, don't cry again, okay?" he pleaded, not wanting Haley to see his own fear.

"Okay, okay…you have him tonight. I can come by before or after or—"

"It's fine, Hales. I'm going to stay with him tonight and drive him to and from tomorrow. Why don't you come by and see him after school. Bring us both our assignments, _tutor girl_." Nathan joked, putting comical emphasis on Brooke's nickname for Haley.

"You're sure you can handle it by yourself?"

"Yeah, I got it."

"Okay, I'll see you tomorrow, Nate."

He kissed her softly and smiled before waving and getting into the car. She waved to him as he drove off.


	6. Growing Secrets

**Nikki14u: **Thanks for the review! Last chapter was pretty tough to write- all the emotional stuff- so I'm really glad you enjoyed it! Hope you keep reading the story! Thanks so much for reviewing:)

**Brucasforever3:** I'm SO glad you like this! I'm really sorry about your brother. I have to look all of the stuff for this story up on the internet so I'm really hoping that everything's right and believable and everything. Your review was totally awesome! Thanks so much:)

**Jeyton4ever:** You pretty much predicated this chapter…the way Haley would act. She acted brave but it won't take her long to break down. Stay tuned! Haha. Thank so much for your review! I really appreciate it:)

**X3loveyou:** Thanks so much for the review! It was hard to make that chapter as descriptive as I knew it should be but I'm glad you liked it! Haha, I love when authors do shout-outs. I think I can get in trouble for doing it on here but what the heck…I won't do it every time I guess. I wish my school was out on break for a week…but we aren't, haha. Hope to see you around, thanks so much for reviewing:)

**Mythology:** Thanks so much for reviewing! I really appreciate it:)

**Aqua Mage:** Thanks for reviewing! I appreciate it:)

**OTHAddictChica:** So glad you like the story! You were right- I didn't mean to just put dashes. I couldn't remember how to spell it and forgot to change it before I posted it. Haha. Thanks for pointing it out. Hope you keep reading! Thanks so much for reviewing:)

**Tonje:** Really glad you like it! Hehe, it's good to know people are into the story. Will I kill him in the end or won't I…! Hmmm…! I'm a sucker for happy endings, so even though I can't tell you if he lives or not, I can tell you that there will be a sweet ending. Hope you keep reading! Thanks so much for reviewing:)

**NaleyBrucasFan-aka Lizzy:** Mwuahaha…I love stopping in clifferhanger-ish places! Makes the reviewers come back for more! But, I'm back! No worries! Hahaha! Hope you come back to read more! Thanks so much for reviewing:)

**Photoboothromance:** Yes, ridiculous, I know…but Brooke will find out soon. As soon as I figure out how I'm going to write that…hahaha. I'm not sure who I want to tell her yet. She should be finding out or at least start getting suspicious in the next chapter or two. Hope you come back to read more! Thanks so much for reviewing:)

**Camilla19:** Just so you know, your review made me super happy! I'm so glad you're into the story. I really like writing the Lucas/Nathan stuff so I'm glad you're enjoying it. The only hard part is making it cute without making it totally unrealistically cute…haha. Don't worry…I have big plans in Dan finding out so make sure you stay tuned! Hope you keep reading! Thanks so much for your review:)

**Symmy:** Really glad you liked it so much! Getting two reviews from you for this chapter was awesome! Haha! Thanks for reviewing! I really appreciate it:)

**Iftheyonlyknewthetruth:** Thanks for reviewing! I thought Whitey lying for Lucas would be a good way of showing that even though it seems like Whitey's being casual about this, he really knows Lucas will do what he knows is right. I will have Karen find out as soon as I figure out how I want that situation to work out. I definitely want to try and write something like her funny blow-up in S2…hahaha. Hope you stay tuned! Thanks so much for reviewing:)

**Lucasscottlover1:** Haha, that's a coincidence because I just saw RachCDMcKnzie's story and got worried for a second- thought we were writing the same story- but hers is LP so it's good that there's more than one of these stories out there. So glad you're enjoying the story! I really love yours too! You need to update the roadtrip one! You're an awesome writer! Thanks so much for reviewing mine:)

**Banks'-gurl-99: **Thanks for the review! I really appreciate it:)

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**Sorry about the wait ya'll! This chapter was a lot harder to write than I thought it would be. I'm trying to figure out how I want some things to work so please bear with me. I really apologize for this chapter- I made you wait like a week and then the chapter you've all been waiting for pretty much sucks. Haha. Oh well, every story needs a filler chapter now and then. Right…? Please excuse this chapter and I hope you come back to read more! Thanks so much! –Justine :) **

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Chapter 5

Nathan jumped slightly when he heard a knock at the door and glanced at the clock ticking on the wall. It was kind of late for someone to be showing up, but he reluctantly got up off the couch and muted the television. He slowly opened the front door of his brother's house to find a girl standing nervously on the porch.

"Hey Nate…" she greeted softly.

"Hey, Peyton…" he answered, surprised to see her.

"Can I um…?"

"Oh, yeah, yeah, sure, c'mon in…" he said quickly, stepping aside.

He led the way back into the living room and she sat down on the couch, looking up at him.

"What's wrong, Pey? Did you need something?" he asked.

"I just, um…I wanted to talk to you…and check on Lucas." She added quickly.

His eyes quickly looked to hers, searching for answers. How could she know? Surely she wasn't talking about Lucas being sick. No one else knew. Right…?

"Wha-What?" he stammered.

"Nathan…please don't do this. I just wanted to see how he is…I won't tell him I know if you don't want me too…"

"No, I just um, I'm just…how did you find out…and how much do you know?" he asked nervously.

Peyton looked at him and smiled slightly. He instinctively put his hand on her shoulder, seeing sadness in her eyes for the first time in a long time.

Flashback

Peyton turned the key in the knob and the door squeaked as she swung it open.

"B. Davis! You better have a good reason for cutting class today! I'm not covering for you again!" she called playfully into the apartment.

There was no answer and she walked further down the hallway, hearing a noise from the bedroom.

"Brooke? Haley? Anybody home?" she called loudly. The apartment was silent as she swung open the bedroom door and she sighed, walking over to the bed by the wall. Haley was curled up on her side on the bed, hugging a pillow tight to her chest, tears running from her bloodshot eyes. Peyton sat down beside her and silently took the girl into her arms, rubbing her back softly as Haley cried into her shoulder.

"Shhh, it's okay, Haley. What's wrong? Talk to me, Haley…"

"I can't…" she cried.

"C'mon Haley, you can't what?"

"I can't tell you…I can't tell anybody…" she sobbed, her words almost incomprehensible as she mumbled into Peyton's shoulder.

"Haley…what's wrong? What's going on?" Peyton asked, fear rising in her chest.

"I can't handle this…I can't be strong anymore…" she sobbed.

Peyton paused, waiting for Haley to go on.

"Please, I just can't lose him…"

"Haley…who can't you lose…? Nathan?" Peyton said, assuming something had happened between the two of them again.

"No…"

Peyton pulled away and put her hands on Haley's shoulders, forcing their eyes to meet.

"Lucas…" she breathed softly before starting to cry again.

Peyton's breath caught in her throat and she forced herself to take a deep breath.

"Wha-what's wrong with him, Haley? Why would you lose him?"

"Luke…Lucas is sick, Peyton…" she said, barely audible, staring at the ground.

"Sick?"

"He has cancer, Peyton…" Haley let out before breaking down into the girl's shoulder again. Peyton rubbed Haley's back and stared at the wall, her head spinning. She suddenly felt dizzy, possibilities and questions whizzing through her head at a speed she didn't think was possible. How could Lucas be sick? How could he get sick? He didn't deserve this…he had too many people that cared for him, too many things going for him to be sick like that. She held Haley and closed her eyes, trying to stop the whirlwind of thoughts.

"I need to be strong for him…like Nathan…but I can't…he's my best friend…he can't do this…I can't lose him!" Haley cried.

"Shh, no, you won't lose him…we won't lose him…Lucas won't leave us, Haley." Peyton said, not sure if she was convincing Haley or herself.

End Flashback

"She didn't mean to, Nate…don't be mad at her for telling me…" Peyton said, taking the blame.

"No, I'm not mad. I just…I'm trying to do what Lucas wants and he doesn't want people to know yet. It's really hard for him right now to realize he needs help and he's not ready." Nathan explained.

Nathan looked into Peyton's eyes and she blinked quickly, trying to hide her tears from him.

"Pey…" he said softly, embracing her.

She let him wrap his strong arms around her waist and she cried for the first time since she'd heard the news that afternoon. She felt the tears burn her eyes and run down her cheeks and felt him running his fingers through her hair.

"Hey, hey…shh…it's okay, Peyton…" he said softly, a little taken aback by her sudden reaction.

"He promised me he wouldn't leave me…he said he'd always be here for me, no matter what…he can't leave me, Nate…" she cried softly.

"Don't worry, Peyton…Luke is strong, he won't let this thing beat him…he won't leave you…he won't break his promise…" he told her, rubbing her back, feeling her tears soak his shirt.

She pulled back and smiled at him, quickly wiping away her tears. He smiled at her and rubbed her shoulder, laughing slightly at her embarrassment.

"Do you think I could see him real quick?" Peyton asked softly.

Nathan hesitated and then nodded. He led Peyton to a closed door and turned the knob slowly. He glanced at her quickly before opening the door. Peyton stood beside Nathan in the doorway and stared at her friend. She felt tears spring to her eyes at the sight of him and she blinked quickly and wiped her eyes before Nathan saw. Lucas was lying on his back on the bed. His face was pale and there were two ice packs on his shoulder. He was breathing steadily and didn't even stir as the two entered the room. Peyton looked to Nathan and he nodded approvingly so she walked over and kneeled beside the bed, putting her hand on his arm.

"Lucas…how could you be sick? This wasn't supposed to happen. I was supposed to walk in on you and Brooke kissing on the couch or you trying to sock Nathan or…anything but this Lucas! You can't do this! You promised me you wouldn't leave me like everyone else. You're strong Lucas…you've gotta be strong for everybody…" she talked to him softly, his sleeping figure unmoving. She rubbed his arm again as she stood and jumped slightly when his head turned.

"Peyton…?" he croaked, his eyes dazed when he looked up at her sleepily.

"Hey, Luke…don't worry…go back to sleep…" she whispered.

Lucas nodded his head slightly before his eyes fell again, perhaps involuntarily, and he slept.

Peyton smiled at him and wiped her eyes. Closing the door quietly behind her, she found Nathan leaning against the wall outside in the hallway.

"You okay?" Nathan asked, seeing Peyton's bloodshot eyes.

She nodded and smiled slightly at him.

"It's pretty hard…to see him like this…" she finally said.

He nodded, thinking about how he'd had to help his brother walk straight that day, something so simple that was now so hard.

"I'm sorry, Nathan…" she whispered.

"For what?" he asked.

"I don't know…that you have to deal with all this…that you have to be strong for everyone. You're doing good…I'm, um…I'm proud of you, Nate…" she confessed

"Peyton, you know you can't tell anyone, right?" he said.

"Yeah, yeah…don't worry…and um, you know that if you ever need help, you can let me know, right?" she asked nervously.

He smiled and nodded, putting a hand on her shoulder. She smiled back at him and he put her arms around her small shoulders, hugging her tightly. Pulling away, she smiled again before walking out the door.

---

Lucas stumbled into the kitchen, trying to maneuver through the dark hallway as quietly as he could. Reaching the kitchen he flipped the switch and winced as the bright light hit his eyes. Holding the melted ice pack to his shoulder, he pulled another handful of ice from the freezer. Sitting down at the table, he wrapped the ice and turned. He jumped as the ice pack hit the floor with a loud thud. Sighing, he picked it up and laid it on his aching shoulder, resting his head in his hand, his elbow on the table.

"Lucas?"

Lucas looked up to find Nathan staring at him sleepily, leaning against the doorframe.

"You okay, man?" Nathan asked sleepily, yawning as he walked over to sit at the table across from his brother.

"How long was I out today?" Lucas asked quietly.

"It's been almost 14 hours…you were pretty wiped…" Nathan said sympathetically.

"That was Peyton in my room today…wasn't it…?" he asked, dreading the answer.

Nathan nodded guiltily.

"How is it that I went from not wanting to tell anyone to having everyone know in only three days?"

Nathan shrugged.

"Did you tell her?"

"No…Haley did…by accident…"

"By accident?" Lucas asked, cocking his eyebrow.

"Peyton walked in on Haley crying…she's taking this really hard, man…"

Lucas looked down at the table.

"See…this is why I didn't want to tell anyone…I didn't want to make anybody worry…"

"She doesn't mind that as much as she feels like she has to put on a brave face for you, man."

Lucas nodded, understanding.

"Don't worry about it man…I'll handle it…"

"You're handling everything else…I feel bad enough that you're having to stay here and uh, take care of me…and everything…" Lucas said slowly.

Nathan smirked and Lucas smiled.

"You're enjoying this, aren't you!" he laughed, pretending to be offended.

"Sorry, man…it's amusing to watch you squirm…you know you don't have to be embarrassed…it's not that big of a deal staying here and everything- it's a lot better than staying with Dan…"

Lucas nodded.

Nathan laughed again and they both got up from the table.

"What're you doing?" Nathan asked as Lucas walked over to the freezer.

"Getting more ice…"

"Hey, hey, hey…I already got it covered…" Nathan said laughing.

He opened the freezer to reveal a drawer of already wrapped ice packs.

Lucas laughed and grabbed two, shutting the door. Nathan put a hand on his brother's back.

"Like I said, man…I got this covered…don't worry about it…"

---

Nathan sat at the desk in the corner and twirled the chewed up pencil between his fingers. His phone vibrated from his pocket and he pulled it out, flipping it open to reveal a text message.

From: Haley

Hey babe- how is Lucas? Just wanted to say good-night. I love you, Nate.

Nathan smiled to himself and put his phone back in his pocket, slumping back in the chair and staring into the dim lit room. Lucas was laying sprawled on his bed and Nathan was sitting watch. The next day was Lucas's first day of chemo and he honestly had no clue what to expect. Sure, taking care of his brother had been, well, awkward, to say the least, but it hadn't been hard. Now, there was a nagging feeling that that was about to change. He was already getting behind on class work but Haley had been a huge help. And having Whitey there with him had turned out to be a huge help in talking the situation over with Principal Turner. Prinicpal Turner had made a gracious exception to the absence rule and was letting Nathan and Lucas both do almost everything at home, provided they had a tutor.

Nathan sat up a little as Lucas stirred and watched closely. Laughing to himself, he relaxed again. Only two short weeks ago, he had been ready to strangle his brother and now he was ready to jump up at Lucas's every need. He hated to admit it, but it felt good…to be so involved in Lucas's life again. He couldn't even count how many times over the summer he'd picked up the phone to call him after an especially good game. Now, whether Lucas liked it or not, he was depending on Nathan to help him through this. Nathan smiled to himself and took one last look before turning off the lamp on the desk and settling back into his chair.

"Night, Luke…" he whispered.

---

**ugh…yeah…it was WAY boring, I know…but I PROMISE the next chapter will be better! **


	7. Calling in Backup

Okay. Let me just say first of all how sorry I am that you all had to wait so long. I've honestly had this chapter written for about a week and a half but I'm in the process of trying to find a steady beta. Thanks to Cari for beta'ing this chapter. If any of you are interested in being a beta for this story, let me know. I'm not doing shout-outs this chapter because I'm trying to get it out as quickly as possibly for all of you. But, BIG HUGE round of applause for Abbey for helping me so much with this chapter. She's really helped out with getting me the info I need to write the medical stuff. Woooo! Thanks to her! Well, here's the new chapter. Please tell me what you think! I love hearing it and it makes me want to write more! Enjoy! -justine :)

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Brooke knocked confidently on the door and stepped back, hearing the sound of footsteps growing closer inside the house. The door opened and she smiled.

"Hey ba- Nathan?"

"Uh, hey, Brooke. What are you doing here?" he asked, nervously.

"I haven't seen Lucas all week, since you two have obviously found something better to do than show up for class so I thought I'd come and see him," she said cheerily, brushing past him before he could protest.

She saw Lucas sitting at the kitchen table, eating breakfast.

"Hey, you," she said softly.

He spun around and saw her leaning casually against the doorframe, a pretty smile on her face. His felt his heart rise in his chest as he got up from his chair. Suddenly, everything he had been worried about two minutes ago didn't matter. Everything disappeared for a split second and he returned her smile.

"Hey, yourself," he said.

She noticed the sling still on his shoulder and stepped forward, slipping her arms around his waist gently and leaning into his chest. He ran his fingers through her hair and down her back. She pulled back and he kissed her gently on the forehead and smiled down at her.

"What are you doing here, pretty girl?" he asked softly.

"Well, I missed you and wanted to make sure you were coming to school today."

"I missed you too..."

"Peyton and Haley both have something going on that they're not telling me because they're upset so that means you get to walk to school with me today, boyfriend."

Lucas thought about Haley and Peyton and tried to ignore the sudden feeling of guilt creeping over him. He smiled and tucked a wisp of her long, dark hair behind her ear.

"I'd love too, Brooke…"

She smiled at him sweetly.

"…but I can't," he finished quietly.

She frowned at him and he looked nervously to Nathan who was sitting quietly at the table. Nathan nodded, smiling slightly at Brooke and patting his brother quickly on the back before leaving the room. Brooke cocked her eyebrow at Lucas.

"What's going on, Luke?"

"Brooke, I have to talk to you. You, um, you should probably sit down," he said quietly, pulling out the chair from the table. She obediently sat down in the chair and looked up at him, noticing how tired he looked.

"I um, I have something to tell you. I, uh, this is really hard…"

"Lucas, you're scaring me. Please, just tell me."

"Brooke, I can't go to school, because I'm sick," he said slowly.

She instinctively stood up and he swallowed hard, taking her hand in his own before taking another deep breath to continue.

"I have cancer, Brooke," he finally confessed, sadness and guilt reflecting in his face.

Brooke looked into his tired eyes and blinked quickly in disbelief. She looked around, feeling the room rock beneath her. Haley and Peyton's sad eyes suddenly flicked into her mind. They knew. This was why Nathan was at Lucas' house. This was why he had passed out at school. She suddenly felt sick to her stomach and couldn't speak.

"Brooke?" Lucas finally spoke.

She looked back at him and shook her head in disbelief, pulling her hand away from his.

"Why, why didn't you tell me?" she stammered, backing away from him.

"Brooke, I just—"

"No! No …" she said shaking her head. He took a step toward her but she pushed him away blindly, turning towards the door. He stared at her in disbelief before she slammed the door behind her and silence filled the room, the curtains still swinging back and forth. He felt someone behind him and turned to see Nathan putting a strong, sympathetic hand on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry, man," he said softly.

Lucas stared at him and nodded.

"I'm so sorry; I shouldn't have let her come in, Luke."

"It's fine, Nathan. Now she knows and it was just like I knew it would happen."

"Luke, she's just surprised. She didn't expect this. She needs some time to deal with it. She'll probably be over this afternoon to talk. She cares about you, man. She won't stay mad forever."

Lucas nodded and smiled slightly before brushing past his brother.

---

Nathan stood beside the doctor and stared at his brother as he lay sleeping on the bed.

"So how many times does he have to do this, doc?" Nathan asked, his eyes filled with dread.

"Well, since this is Lucas' first time, he will be held here for three or four days, give or take, so that we can determine the best dosage for him."

Nathan sighed and looked to the doctor, clearly not looking forward to the upcoming days' events.

"And how do you do that?"

"Well, we've set up a revisable treatment plan for Lucas that we think will be most beneficial to him. It is a little complicated but the general idea is that he will be taking a pill at home everyday and coming into clinic twice a week for IV drugs, like the drugs he was given earlier today. There are also other less-frequent treatments. He will require subcutaneous injections once a month, which are shots. And during the entire plan, he will receive intraventricular therapy twice, which goes directly into the spine. The first round will last six months, after which we'll reevaluate his circumstances."

Nathan nodded blankly, his head spinning.

"We discussed side effects with you, correct?"

Nathan shook his head and the doctor sighed and looked at Lucas.

"Well, Nathan, as you observed today, the drugs are making Lucas extremely weak and feel very sick. The most common side effects are weakness, fatigue, dizziness, headaches, nausea, and hair loss."

Nathan winced and the doctor smiled sympathetically.

"I know this is a lot for you to take in, son. But you're not in this alone. We're doing everything we can to help your brother."

Nathan nodded.

"We'll discuss options with your guardian about intravenous plans…"

"Our guardian?" Nathan inquired quickly.

"Yes, sir. Lucas, under insurance, is legally able to undergo treatment with you as his guardian for only another week before he will need a legal guardian present with him."

Nathan's heart jumped and he looked over at Lucas was sleeping peacefully on the bed before dragging his gaze back to the doctor.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. We can take care of that for you."

"No, I mean, no thank you. This is something we'll need to handle on our own," he said quickly.

The doctor nodded and smiled before putting a hand on Nathan's shoulder quickly and leaving the room.

Nathan watched the man leave and then looked back to his brother. He walked over and sat down slowly beside him, leaning his elbows on the bed and cradling his head in his hands, closing his eyes.

"Nathan?" Lucas whispered, without opening his eyes. Nathan lifted his head and watched as his brother's eyes opened slowly.

"Hey, man. You doing okay?"

Lucas shook his head slowly in a heartbreaking response.

"Nate, I don't have a guardian to tell." he said slowly.

"H-how much of that did you hear, Luke?"

"All of it."

Nathan sighed, thinking about the long conversation about treatment and side effects, realizing the look in his brother's eyes was fear.

"Don't worry about it right now, okay? We'll figure it out, man."

Lucas nodded, immediately regretting it as his head pounded. His eyes felt heavy and his body finally felt numb.

"Can I get anything for you, Luke? You hungry?"

Lucas cringed as his stomach churned and he groaned.

"That would be a no," Nathan said to himself, regretting his question. "Why don't you go to sleep, Luke. Haley's supposed to be by later."

He looked to his brother, but Lucas was already asleep. He sighed and sat back in the chair, resting his head against the wall and closing his eyes.

---

Brooke lay back on her bed and stared at the ceiling, hugging her pillow tightly to her chest. Haley and Peyton were both gone, most likely to visit Lucas, but she couldn't face any of them. She closed her eyes and tried to push the feeling of guilt out of her mind. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't get that look out of her mind. That look Lucas had given her right before she'd left his house in tears that morning.

She couldn't handle this. It was all too much and she felt alone. Lucas was going through the worst time in his life and she didn't know what to do. She tried to tell herself that didn't know why she was mad at him, but she did. The jealousy she felt in the pit of her stomach had hit her like a ton of bricks when she realized she was the last to know, when she realized that Haley, Nathan and, most importantly, Peyton, had all found out before her. Lucas had promised her that things were different now, that he only loved her and no one else and she believed him. But if that were true, then why did it bother her so much that Peyton was there comforting her boyfriend when she didn't have the courage to face any of them?

The looks she had gotten that day haunted her mind, replaying like scenes in a movie that she couldn't stop. The look of sympathy that Nathan had given her early that morning, the look of confusion Peyton had given her when she showed up late for class, her eyes red and puffy, the look of sadness on Haley's face as she left the apartment that evening. The most haunting, of course, being the look of shock and sadness in Lucas's eyes when she had yelled at him that morning. She knew he had been scared to tell her, scared of how she would react, so she didn't know why she had reacted the way she did. It always happened, she put up a wall so that the people she loved couldn't hurt her but she always ended up getting hurt just the same. She wanted more than anything to rush over to his house and fall asleep curled up in his strong arms, but she couldn't. She couldn't face him, not now. She wasn't strong enough.

---

Peyton linked arms with Haley and they took a collective deep breath before walking into the room. Nathan was sprawled out on the couch at one end of the room and Lucas was sleeping peacefully on the bed, his face pale and still. Haley walked over and rubbed her husband's shoulder and he sighed, opening his eyes and yawning.

"Hey, babe," she whispered.

He smiled and sat up, pulling her into his lap and embracing her. "Hey, Hales, when did you get here?"

"Just now. How is he?" she asked, looking over to her best friend.

Nathan looked toward Lucas and noticed Peyton sitting on the edge of the bed, taking Lucas' hand and whispering softly to him. Nathan took Haley's hand and led her to the edge of the bed behind Peyton. Peyton turned around and stared at Nathan, not letting go of Lucas' hand but making room for Haley to sit next to her.

"Try not to wake him up, this is the first time's he's really slept all day," Nathan whispered to the both of them, watching his brother sleep in relief.

"C'mon, Nate. Let's go get coffee. You look like you could use it and I don't want to wake him," Haley whispered, taking Peyton's arm and Nathan's hand, leading them towards the door.

When they were all seated at a quiet table in the hospital's café, each with a cup of bad coffee, Peyton was the first to speak up.

"So, how is he? What happened today, Nate?"

"He finally fell asleep about an hour ago. It was, uh, it was a pretty hard day for him."

Peyton looked down at her hands around the steaming cup and blinked, trying to get Lucas' pale face from her mind.

"What happened?" Haley asked again.

"They talked to us about the chemo and all the different ways he has to take it. He took a pill and they said that he took some through the IV today. And then they talked about getting it through his chest and his spine and about all the side effects," Nathan went on to tell them exactly what the doctor had told him and Haley stared wide-eyed at him.

"He has to do all of that?" she finally said softly.

Nathan nodded solemnly and stared at Peyton who was trying hard not to make eye contact with either of them. Haley looked into Nathan's eyes and almost lost her composure. He looked so tired, so worried. She reached across the table and took her husband's hand in her own, rubbing it softly.

"Are you okay, Nate?" she asked softly.

He nodded but then looked into her eyes.

"It was so hard for him, Hales. He was so tired but he couldn't even lie down without having to throw up again. He didn't have any energy and he couldn't even talk for awhile, he was just so tired, and I couldn't help him," he finally let out, embarrassed as Peyton turned to look at him.

Haley took his hand and smiled comfortingly.

"Nathan, you're helping Lucas more than anyone right now. He needs all of us, whether he's ready to admit it yet or not," Haley said softly.

Peyton nodded in agreement and looked to Nathan again.

"That's not the worst of it," Nathan finally said.

Peyton looked to Haley and met her fear-filled eyes and they both looked back to Nathan who was blankly staring back.

"He has to have a guardian by next week or they can't go on with treatment."

Haley gasped involuntarily and her hand went over her mouth.

"But Karen's still in New Zealand. She and Andy aren't getting married until next month," Peyton stated, more to herself than to the other two.

Nathan nodded.

"Which means there's only one other person," he carried on quietly.

"Dan?" Haley asked nervously.

Nathan nodded again and finally looked up to meet her eyes. She smiled slightly and squeezed his hand again.

---

Lucas opened his eyes and immediately closed them again as the bright light hit and his head pounded. His teeth were chattering and his hands were shaking. He put his hands behind him and tried to raise himself up to a sitting position but his arms were weak. He sat halfway up and breathed deeply. He was already out of breath and the room was spinning around him. He tried to sit up again and felt his stomach churn, sending one hand to the wastebasket beside him and the other to his stomach, his head banging against the headboard with a loud thud at the sudden lack of support. He didn't have time to worry about his head as he threw his body over the basket, sitting up on the bed. He tried to throw up but there was nothing left. His stomach heaved and churned as tears slid down his face and he held his stomach tightly. He thought he heard the door open but didn't have the energy to look up as his stomach heaved again and he was sent into a coughing fit. He sensed someone behind him and then felt a hand gently supporting his back. He gratefully leaned back, letting his body weight sink backwards.

"Are you okay now?" the girl asked.

Lucas closed his eyes and nodded, not wanting to watch as his world spun again and again.

The girl set the basket on the floor again and set pillows behind Lucas, helping him lean onto them. Finally, after a short pause, Lucas opened his eyes and blinked quickly to focus.

"Luke, are you okay?" Peyton asked.

Lucas blinked in surprise and felt his face flush, embarrassed by her presence. He was hoping it was a nurse or even Nathan, not Peyton. He didn't want her to see him like this. It was only the first day and he was already weaker than ever.

"Luke? Your head's bleeding, what happened?" she asked, quickly pressing a rag to his aching head.

"Hit the bed," he croaked.

She sat down beside him and put one hand on his arm, the other behind his head.

"I just …" he started.

"No, I know. Its okay, Luke," she said softly.

He settled his body further into the bed and let his eyes close again, laying in silence as his stomach settled. She supported his head until she finally pulled the rag away. He put a shaking hand to her arm and she immediately got up, tucking another blanket around him.

"Better?" she asked simply.

He kept his eyes closed and nodded. She lay beside him and fingered the sling on his shoulder, letting him rest.

"Peyton?" he finally croaked.

"Yeah, Luke?"

"I'm sorry you saw that…Where's Nathan?"

"He had to drive Haley home and take a quick shower. I said I'd stay here until he got back. He didn't think you'd be awake for awhile."

Lucas nodded, his eyes still closed.

"I told Brooke," he finally whispered, breaking the silence in the room.

She cocked her eyebrow and sat back, putting a comforting hand on his arm.

"How'd she take it?"

"Not good," he said simply, pushing the picture of Brooke slamming the door behind her out of his mind. They laid in awkward silence and she finally closed her eyes, turning to face her on the bed.

"Are you feeling better?" she said softly.

"Yeah, thanks," he lied, grateful he didn't have to make eye contact with her for fear that she'd see through his act.

Peyton listened as Lucas's teeth stopped chattering and his breathing became regular. She placed an awkward hand on his chest, feeling the steady beat of his heart, his chest rise and fall. She'd missed being able to talk to him and she was grateful to be there to support him.

---

Nathan stepped forward and took a deep breath before pressing the bell of the small, pale yellow house, the sound of the ocean in his ears.

The door opened and he stepped back, standing as tall as he could manage.

"Well, well, well, what have we got here? What do you want now?" the man asked.

Nathan took a step toward the man and took a deep breath, steadying his voice before speaking out.

"I need your help," he finally said, his ego taking a full hit.

The man tilted his head back and laughed loudly, crossing his arms across his chest and leaning against the doorframe.

"You are no longer my son. Remember?" Dan Scott said softly, dangerously.

Nathan looked towards the ground, marveling at his own timidity.

"Well, how can Mayor Dan Scott help you?" the man finally asked.

"I don't need your help, Dad. Lucas does," he said.

His eyebrows rose, whether in surprise or condescension, Nathan couldn't tell. Dan stepped back and started to shut the door. Nathan reached out in anger and stopped the door with one hand right before it latched and kicked it back open to Dan's astonishment.

"This is my house, not yours. What do you think you're doing?" Dan asked.

"Lucas needs your help, and you're the only one that can …"

"Go on," Dan prompted, curiosity getting the better of him.

"Lucas is sick. He has cancer."

"And…?"

"And! He needs your help! They won't give him any more treatment without a legal guardian present. He's not asking for sympathy or money, he just needs you to show up and stand there. Okay! He's your son! Is that really too much to ask!" Nathan shouted, his anger rising.

Dan's face froze. His son.

"Please, please, Dad, please," Nathan pleaded, Lucas' pale face flickering in his mind.

Dan's ears opened as his son called him "Dad". He looked into Nathan's eyes and for the first time in a long time, he didn't see hardness or determination or willpower. He saw weakness, worry, and worst of all, fear.

He paused and silence rang in Nathan's ears as he felt his pride melt away, tears stinging his eyes.

Dan finally stepped forward.

"What do I have to do?"


	8. Open the Door

Chapter 7

Haley reached her hand up and put it to Lucas's forehead, only to have him laugh slightly and pull away.

"I'm fine, Hales. Don't worry, okay? Please?" He pleaded.

Haley smiled and got up, running her hand through his hair and tousling it to annoy him, just like they did when they were kids, and they both laughed.

"Okay, I'm gonna go find Nathan. I'll be right back," she said before smiling at him once more and turning to walk out the door. Lucas closed his eyes and enjoyed the silence for a moment. Laying his head back on the pillow, he took a deep breath and put a hand to his shoulder, putting all his effort into trying to lift it. He shut his eyes tight, beads of sweat breaking out on his forehead as pain shot through his arm.

"That's probably not the best idea, you know.

Lucas's eyes shot open and he immediately took his hand away from his shoulder, guiltily making eye contact with her.

"Peyton…"

"Don't look so guilty, Luke," she teased.

"No, I just um…I didn't expect to see you here, you know, with Brooke and everything," he stammered.

Peyton smiled and sat on the edge of the bed facing him.

"Luke, Brooke's my friend, and I have to respect her, but you're my friend, too. I don't want to take sides, Luke. I want you to know that I'm here, and I'm really trying to get Brooke here, too."

Lucas offered her a tight smile, and silence filled the room again. He tried to ignore the awkward glances between them, but things were just too weird. He'd fallen asleep in her arms; she'd cleaned up after him when he got sick; she listened to him groan and mumble in his sleep, and never once had she said anything to hold the embarrassing moments against him. Peyton had always been there, and he knew that. However, the past couple days she was like a completely different person, she wasn't the sarcastic, rebellious Peyton he'd known before. She was at ease, and went with the flow. He really appreciated her being there through the past three days, which had been hell. Honestly, he couldn't even distinguish one day from the next; he'd lost his sense of time. He remembered being tired and weak and sick and miserable, in more pain than he thought was possible. The one thing he knew for certain was that she had been there. Lucas was torn from his daydream as the door opened again. Haley, Nathan, and the doctor walked into the room.

"Um…I'll, uh…I'll see you later, Luke. I promise," Peyton said quietly before quickly exiting the room.

Lucas watched her leave and then quickly turned his eyes towards his brother. Haley came over and sat on the edge of the bed as Nathan and the doctor stood at the foot.

"Well, Mr. Scott? How are you doing today?"

Lucas smirked and then smiled, in an attempt to evade the question.

"We've worked out your treatment plan and talked to your doctors, so you're being released; you can go home. We'll see you for clinical treatments in two days."

Lucas took a deep breath at the thought of coming back here again, but he quickly swallowed and plastered a smiled on his face. The doctor smiled reassuringly, and shook Nathan's hand before walking out. All three of them sighed.

"Well, man, are you ready to go?"

Haley pulled Lucas' bed sheets off of him to reveal his attire; he was already wearing his jeans and a hoodie.

"Let's get the hell outta here!" Lucas laughed.

Haley put the wheelchair by the door as Nathan bent down beside him. Lucas threw his legs over the side of the bed and put his good arm around Nathan's neck, to pull himself up. A wave of dizziness washed over him and he closed his eyes, concentrating on standing still. Nathan watched him patiently, and waited until Lucas opened his eyes again.

"You okay?"

Lucas nodded, gritting his teeth. Regaining his balance, Lucas shook his head and oddly enough, felt more normal than he had for days as he walked out the door. Nathan slung Lucas's bag over his shoulder and followed them both out of the room.

---

Peyton cautiously walked into the apartment, half expecting to find an upset Brooke crying on the couch. Finding no one in the kitchen, she walked in the living room and took a deep breath at what she saw: Brooke was sitting on the couch watching a movie, eating ice cream from a tub. She stalked over and tore the tub from Brooke's hands, turning off the lame movie.

"Heee-eeeey! What are you doing!" Brooke whined.

"Introducing you to a little thing I like to call reality!"

Brooke sat silently, clearly surprised at her best friend's outrage.

"How can I put this simply? Go. See. Lucas!"

"I can't!"

"Why the hell not!"

"He lied to me!"

"Brooke, how can you hold that against him right now!"

"He told me I could trust him, that he'd tell me everything!"

"Lucas was scared, Brooke! Hell, we're all scared! He has cancer, damn it! Did you expect it to be easy for him to tell you? Cause earth to Brooke, it wasn't. he had the most difficult time telling you, and this isn't going away. You have to deal with it!"

"I can't!"

"Brooke Penelope Davis, Lucas needs you, he loves you! If you could have heard him mumble about you in his sleep the past three days—he loves you so much!"

"You were with him?"

"Brooke! Yes, of course I was with him, just like the rest of his friends! I can't for the life of me think of a reason why _you_ weren't there. What part of him having cancer don't you get? He's helpless and he's terrified."

Brooke remained silent, her eyes focused on her hands. Peyton felt tears spring to her eyes and she quickly sat down beside Brooke, pulling her chin up to meet eyes with her friend. Tears streamed down the brunette's face and Peyton's emotions crumbled. She wrapped an arm firmly around her best friend.

"I'm scared too, Peyton," Brooke cried finally.

"I know, I know. Shh. I didn't mean to get mad, Brooke."

"I love him." Brooke sobbed.

"I know you do. I'm sorry. I know you do. It's okay, B," she whispered in a soothing tone..

Brooke cried soundlessly into her best friend's arms. Peyton stroked Brooke's hair and consoled her friend.

Brooke opened her eyes and rubbed her head as light streamed in through the window. She sat up and looked in the mirror across the room. She was wearing clothes from the day before and her hair was a mess, her makeup, dried, smeared across her face. Looking down, she caught sight of two pieces of paper on the coffee table. She picked up the first one and scanned it.

B. Davis:

Had to go to school. Didn't want to wake you. Sorry for last night. Hope to see you later.

-P. Sawyer

Brooke smiled slightly, recalling the night before. She picked up the second piece of paper and tears stung her eyes. In her hands she clutched a black and white sketch. On one side, was a sketch of herself and on the other side was a sketch of Lucas. In between the two people there was an intricately drawn brick wall with a glass door in the middle. Scrawled at the bottom in Peyton handwriting, it read 'All You Have to Do Is Open The Door'. Brooke glanced back up at the glass door in the picture and noticed it. The reflections of the two people in the glass were different than the original figures. The reflections in the glass had hearts drawn onto their chests. Brooke abruptly got up and grabbed the stapler from her desk. She pinned the drawing up on the wall, right next to Lucas's letters and photos of the two of them together. She wasn't ready, in fact, she was scared as hell, but she wasn't going to lose him, not again.

---

Walking into the gym after school, Brooke came up behind Peyton and put an arm around her shoulders. Peyton looked over and saw her cheery best friend, laughing at her goofy smile.

"I didn't expect to see you here today."

"I know, but I found your drawing and I decided I'm going to go see him tonight. I just figured I'd come to practice first—didn't seem right to skip out on you twice in a row."

Both girls turned around as the sound of the metal swinging doors opening echoed through the gym. The entire team stopped where they were on the court, and turned to see Nathan entering the gym. Peyton smiled and waved him over.

"Hey! Wow, you look like hell, Nate. What's up?" Peyton asked as Nathan leaned against the bleachers behind him.

"Didn't get much sleep last night."

"What's going on, Nate?"

"Nothing really, just lots of stuff to think about." Peyton put a hand on Nathan's shoulder.

"Don't worry so much, Nate. Everything'll be fine."

"Who are you trying to convince? Me or you?"

"Uh, both?"

Nathan nodded and they both laughed uneasily as Brooke approached.

"Brooke, hey, I haven't seen you since—" he stopped mid-sentence, and Brooke's face fell. Peyton put a hand on her shoulder.

"She's gonna go see him soon."

"Good. He really misses you, Brooke. If I have to listen to him whisper your name while he's high off painkillers one more time, I was going to kidnap you and bring you to him before I went crazy."

"So, why're you at practice?"

"Figured I should come at least once before the game." He turned around to see the whole team still looking around, confused.

"Wait, Nate, does the team not know?" Brooke asked. Nathan shook his head.

"He didn't want me to tell 'em yet, so I'm not."

Brooke nodded and looked around nervously. Nathan put a hand on her shoulder.

"He's okay, Brooke; he really wants to see you. Don't be afraid to go see him."

"He's not mad?"

"Not a chance. Just go see him. He needs it…you need it." Nathan smiled reassuringly, followed by a wink, before he turned and walked away.

"Bye, Nate." Peyton called as Whitey's whistle rang through the gym and practice started.

**Okay, I'm not even going to begin to say how sorry I am for making you guys wait so long for an update. School is brutal and with AP exams coming up, I haven't had much time. Once school is out, I'll have LOADS of updates for all of you so just hang in there. I have the next 4 chapters outlined and have already sent the 8th chapter to my new beta, Melissa so BIG THANKS to her! This chapter wasn't much but I promise the next chapter is better and MUCH longer. It should be up within the next couple of days. Thanks so much for all of your feedback! It really means a lot and makes me want to keep writing:) -justine**


	9. Never Alone

**Okay, I thought I'd be generous and give you two updates in one day since the last chapter was really short and you've all waited so long for me to update! BIG THANKS to my beta, Melissa. This story would be a mess if it weren't for her! I'm pretty happy with the way this chapter turned out so enjoy:) -justine**

Chapter 8

Lucas woke up to Nathan gently shaking the bed.

"Mmmmmmm" he groaned.

"C'mon, Luke."

Lucas opened his eyes slowly and sat up in the bed, leaning against the headboard.

"C'mon, Luke, I gotta get to school, man. Get up!" Nathan called from across the room as he tossed a sweatshirt and jeans onto the bed and grabbed Lucas's arm, pulling him to a standing position.

"I can't believe you're leaving me alone with him." Lucas mumbled angrily.

"Lucas! I told you! We didn't have any other choice!"

"You couldn't like, pay off some dude to pretend to be my guardian!" he replied in exasperation.

"Okay, first, I'm not too keen on getting arrested, and second, I'm completely broke!"

"But you couldn't even come! You've gotta leave me alone with the guy?"

"I'm sorry! It's just the ride to the hospital and the ride back home. It's not a big deal. I'll be back on lunch break and right after practice. I've gotta go into school today to get your work and mine, and then Whitey said I have to at least come to practice once if I want to stay on the team. I swear, it won't be that bad, Luke."

Lucas fell silent, knowing the argument wasn't doing him any good. He nodded.

"Okay, fine. I'll see you later."

Lucas turned away and started to get dressed. Nathan sighed and walked over, and took a seat on the bed beside where Lucas was standing, and looked up at him. Lucas finally met eyes with him and Nathan smiled slightly.

"You nervous, man?"

Lucas looked hard at him and shamefully nodded. He didn't like that Nathan knew he was scared. He didn't like that Nathan knew he was weak, but it happened. Normally he'd never let anyone know that, but now everything was different, and as much as he hated it, it's the way things were. Nathan stood up and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Look, man, It's fine. We all know you're scared. Hell, you've got more right to be scared than anyone, but you'll get through it. Get through today and then we'll figure it out from there. I've gotta get going, but please Luke, don't worry. We're all by your side. I'll see you at lunch, man, okay?"

Lucas nodded and Nathan patted his back before heading out the side door of his brother's room. Lucas sighed and took the jeans in one hand, looking into the mirror. This was it, his first chemo treatment.

---

Dan Scott pulled the sleek, black car into the driveway, ignoring the nervous feeling that had crept over him. He hadn't spoken to Lucas since Keith had left town, and he hadn't been planning on doing it soon. Honestly, part of the guilt was not noticing the boy had been sick. He'd seen Lucas at practice, seen him at the games, seen how he was lagging behind and always icing his shoulder as he sat on the bench, but none of it had seemed cause for concern for him. His goal had been to avoid his son and the feeling, he knew, was mutual. As much as he refused to admit it, he was nervous about bringing Lucas to chemo. He didn't know what to expect.

In the driveway, he simply honked the horn and sat back casually. The boy emerged from the house and walked towards the car. Dan took a deep breath, and took in the sight of his son. Lucas didn't look any different, wearing jeans and the faded Keith Scott Body Shop sweatshirt, one hand dug into his pocket, the other clenched around the strap of the sling, staring at the ground as he made his was to the car. Lucas opened the door and slid in without a word. Dan wanted to greet the boy, but didn't know what to say so he just gripped the steering wheel tightly and backed out of the driveway.

The ride to the hospital was silent and awkward. Lucas stared out the window and kept to himself, his mind spinning with every thought possible as he convinced himself that this was no big deal. Eventually, just as they always did, his thoughts turned to Brooke. He wondered what she was doing; what she was thinking; why he'd been stupid enough to tell her like he did—to wait so long to tell her. He knew why though, he was afraid to tell her the most, afraid of the hurt on her face, the fear and disappointment. He snapped back to reality when the car pulled into the parking lot of the hospital. Dan parked the car and climbed out. Lucas got out and didn't wait for Dan, walking through the revolving doors.

---

Nathan drove to school alone for the first time since Lucas had gotten sick—thoughts ran wild through his head. He hated not being there for Lucas's chemo treatment. The silence was deafening, and he looked over, biting his lip as the empty passenger seat beside him caught his eye. He sighed and turned on the radio, increasing the volume until the car shook. The silence was too much; he needed Lucas there as much as Lucas needed him.

---

Lucas sat in the oversized armchair and leaned his head against the back, closing his eyes. Dan was out in the waiting room and Lucas had come in alone. Waiting for the doctor, Lucas's mind spun—he was alone and he preferred it that way. He didn't want anyone to see how nervous he was. He didn't want anyone to notice how he was gripping the sides of the chair to keep from shaking, or the beads of sweat on his forehead. He jumped as the door to the room opened, and a woman walked in. She looked to be around his mother's age.

"Hi, Lucas. I'm Grace," she greeted him, extending her hand to take his. He shook her hand, hoping she didn't notice how his hand trembled. She sat down on the stool in front of him and pulled the small tray beside her.

"We're going to administer your treatment through an IV in your hand today. After today, we'll be able to discuss whether you would rather have a port or a PICC line—"

"What are those?" Lucas interrupted.

"Well, a port is inserted into your hand and we use that to give you the treatment instead of sticking you every time. A PICC line is basically the same thing except it's inserted into your chest. We're going to recommend a PICC line for you because of your active lifestyle."

Lucas stared at the woman, his head spun. She put a hand on his arm.

"Don't worry about that now, son. We'll figure it out. You don't have to worry about anything, okay?"

Lucas nodded, feeling embarrassed for showing how nervous he was.

"Okay, you ready?"

Lucas leaned his head back again and nodded. She smiled and turned to prepare the treatment on the table beside her.

"Did you want your father with you?" she asked casually.

"No."

"Okay, that's fine, some patients like to be alone and some patients like to have company. It's your choice."

Lucas watched as she prepared the needle and his stomach knotted. He turned his head away, trying to calm himself down, he tried to convince himself it wasn't a big deal. As the woman finished preparing, Lucas's breathing became short. He desperately wanted out—to be anywhere but where he currently was. He wanted someone to be there, anyone. He didn't want to be alone, scared as hell—he was ready to admit it. Nathan, Haley, Peyton, Brooke, anyone. The woman took his hand and began to wipe it as it shook even more.

"It's okay, son. Calm down, relax."

Lucas closed his eyes and leaned his head back, taking deep breaths. Finally, he opened his eyes again, only to find the needle heading toward the bulging vein in his hand. He panicked, watching as the needle moved in slow motion towards him. The woman didn't look up as the she held the needle steady and inserted it slowly into his hand while Lucas held his breath. His hand burned and he tried to look away but couldn't bring himself to turn his attention. The woman connected a plastic bag to the needle and hung the bag above his head beside the chair. The woman wrapped his hand in a bandage to keep the intimidating needle in place and Lucas finally pulled his eyes away. He looked up at the bag nervously as his hand burned. It looked huge, like it would take forever to finish. He didn't want to be here, he wanted to go home.

"Lucas?"

He was jolted from his thoughts as the woman called his name, putting a hand on his good shoulder.

"Lucas, the worst of it is over, you're just fine."

Lucas squeezed his eyes shut once more, willing his tears away as he inhaled a shaky breath. Reopening his eyes, he saw her look at him, her face filled with sympathy. She smiled at him and rubbed his shoulder, handing him the remote control to the television mounted in the corner of the room.

"I'll be in to check on you in about an hour. Okay? Take it easy."

He nodded and looked down at the remote.

"You'll probably start to feel tired soon, its normal—hang in there. It won't take as long as you think."

She smiled and winked before leaving the room. Lucas sighed and sat back. The liquid dripped slowly, filling the bag as the minutes ticked by. The TV was on, but he wasn't really paying attention. He tried to watch, keep his mind off reality, and slowly, his eyes grew heavy. He noticed how the bag was almost empty. He was amazed at how fast the effects were coming on. His head was already starting to hurt, and his whole body felt heavy. A few minutes later, Grace came back, this time followed by the doctor. The doctor stayed on the other side of the room, looking over a stack of papers and Grace walked up to Lucas, smiling. Lucas lifted his head and opened his eyes, smiling slightly to greet her.

"Well, look at you. You made it," she said, smiling. She unwrapped the bandage on Lucas's hand and he watched as she slowly slid the needle out, his stomach churned. She quickly pressed a bandage onto the small spot and threw the needle away, casting a glance up at him.

"You made it through the first one, Lucas. I'm proud of you."

Lucas chuckled, more from relief than anything.

"The doctor will talk to you and your dad before you leave. I'll see you Thursday, Lucas, " she smiled and then turned, leaving the room. Lucas turned his attention to the man walking over to him.

"Alright, Lucas. Let's go talk to your dad."

Lucas winced at the acknowledgement of the man but stood up, almost falling back into the chair as a wave of dizziness hit him hard. His head felt heavy and he saw black spots dance in front of his eyes. The doctor reached out and put a hand on his shoulder and Lucas closed his eyes, swaying slightly before he opened his eyes and shook his head. The doctor didn't say a word as Lucas nodded and followed him out.

---

Dan flipped through the old sports magazine for what seemed like the billionth time and sighed. He felt calmer than he thought he would. The way Lucas looked that morning had made him feel better. Lucas had looked normal—as he always had.

"Mr. Scott?"

Dan jumped slightly at the sound of his name and looked up to see the doctor walking towards him, file in hand. Dan stood up and shook hands with the man.

"Where's Lucas?" Dan asked.

The doctor turned around and Lucas was walking slowly towards them, his head down, his one good hand jammed into the deep pocket if his sweatshirt.

"He's coming…"

Dan looked around the man to see Lucas. Lucas finally looked up from the floor and Dan met eyes with the boy. Dark circles appeared under his eyes and his complexion was significantly paler than it had been earlier. He was walking slowly, as if his legs were weights.

"Lucas made it through his first chemo fine. He'll be very tired and weak, probably have a lot of headaches and nausea. He won't be able to do very much for a day or two. He can go to school if he's up to it, but I doubt it."

Dan couldn't listen. He looked past the man and back to Lucas, who was coming closer. Lucas didn't want to face Dan, He didn't want to face anyone. He felt like hell. Not only was his head pounding, but his whole body felt like it weighed a million pounds. He leaned against the wall, and closed his eyes, willing the world to stop spinning.

"Lucas?"

He opened his eyes to find the doctor staring at him.

"You're done for today. I'll see you Thursday. You sure you can make it to the car?"

Lucas nodded, wincing as his head pounded and the world took a drastic tilt to one side.

Dan felt the nagging pain of guilt and sympathy in his stomach as his son leaned, exhausted, against the wall of the hospital. He no longer wanted Lucas to make him look good on the court, he just his son to have the strength to walk, and right then, even the possibility of completing that simple task looked bleak.

"C'mon, son. Let's get you home."

Lucas heard his father call him son for the first time in over a year. He didn't have the strength to think about it. It felt good to have someone there, even if it was the father he hated with every fiber of his being. He let Dan put a strong hand on his back and lead him towards the door. The ride home was grueling; Lucas's stomach churned and he willed himself to keep it under control. He wasn't going to get sick in front of Dan; he wasn't going to show Dan that he had that kind of weakness in him. After all these years, the only thing Lucas wanted to prove to Dan is that he made a mistake when he left him all those years ago. As they got closer to his home, all Lucas wanted was for Dan to drive faster—he just wanted to get home. It took all the strength he had to keep from getting sick all over the interior of Dan's car. Finally they pulled into the driveway. He opened the door quickly, not saying a word for fear he'd get sick.

"Call if you need something…" Dan trailed off, awkwardly, as Lucas closed the door and walked as quickly as he could into the house. Dan watched the boy go and sighed. This was how it was going to be. He backed out of the driveway and drove out of sight. Lucas stumbled through the door and it slammed shut behind him. He made his way through the house into the bathroom and fell to his knees. He was sick for what seemed to be hours, in reality what was less than an hour. Still kneeling in front of the toilet, he heard the door to the house open. Relief washed over him, knowing Nathan was finally home.

"Lucas?" a voice called from the house.

"Nate!" Lucas cried out weakly from where he sat.

He heard footsteps come towards the bathroom and let out a shaky breath, his stomach churned again. He threw his tired body over the bowl and his whole body burned as he got sick again, acid stinging his throat.

"Luke, I brought your homework…" someone called from outside the door. Lucas turned his head to see Brooke standing in the doorway. He didn't have time to respond as his stomach heaved again and he threw up yet again. Panicking, he gagged to get control of his stomach. Brooke stood over him and put a hand on his back. Lucas coughed and gripped the sides of the toilet to keep from collapsing. He attempted to speak, but all he could do was get sick again. He coughed and managed to get control for a split second.

"Get out!" he yelled, not looking up.

"Luke…"

"Brooke! Get out! Get out of here! I don't want you here!" he yelled angrily, refusing to look at her.

"Please, Lucas…"

"Damn it, Brooke! Just get out of here!" he shouted.

Tears spilled down Brooke's face and she ran from the bathroom, dropping Lucas's books on the floor as she sprinted from the house and down the sidewalk.

Lucas finally sat back against the wall, breathing heavily. He let his own tears spill over as he slid down from where he was leaning against the wall and laid down on the cool tile floor, holding his pounding head in his hands.

---

Nathan entered the house and called out.

"Lucas?"

There was no response and worry hit Nathan like a punch in the stomach. He quickly walked through the house, checking every room before he noticed the books and paper strewn around. He threw open the door to the bathroom, and the smell hit him hard. Lucas was lying on the floor, his face pale and eyes closed. He bent down beside him and shook him gently.

"Lucas? C'mon, Luke. Wake up, man," he pleaded.

Lucas slowly opened his eyes and rubbed his head, focusing on the person kneeling above him.

"Nate?" he asked, his was voice hoarse.

"Yeah, you're fine, Luke."

Lucas put his hand to his shoulder and squeezed his eyes tight.

"C'mon, man, sit up."

Nathan helped his brother to a sitting position, leaning him against the wall. Lucas held his shoulder and kept his eyes shut tight before finally opening them to see his brother sitting in front of him. Nathan sighed, for he could tell Lucas had been crying. "Are you okay?"

Lucas shook his head and stared at the ground.

"It wasn't supposed to hurt this bad, Nate."

"What, your shoulder?"

Lucas shook his head again.

"Everything…I yelled at Brooke, told her to stay away. I didn't want her to see me like this."

Nathan nodded understandingly and stood up, holding out a hand to helping his brother stand.

"Don't worry about it now, man. It'll be fine."

Nathan led his brother out of the bathroom and into the living room, easing him onto the couch.

"I need to go talk to her," Lucas said, trying to stand before falling back to the couch, wincing and grabbing his shoulder.

"Look, Luke. I'll talk to her, okay? You can straighten it all out later. She'll understand. You need to sleep. You look like hell, man."

"Feel worse," he mumbled his response.

"Okay, I'll talk to her and tell her you want to talk. I'll bring you to see her later tonight. Just let some sleep, okay?"

Lucas was already asleep.

---

Nathan turned the corner towards the gym and almost tripped. He looked down to find a young brunette in a cheerleading uniform sitting up against the wall, her face buried in her knees. Nathan immediately kneeled down and tucked the girl's hair behind her ear, lifting her chin.

"Brooke…"

Brooke took a shaky breath and wiped her eyes, looking at him miserably.

"Brooke, what's wrong?"

"Lucas…" she choked out.

"Brooke," Nathan took a seat beside the girl against the wall and put a strong arm around her shaking shoulders, letting her cry into his chest.

"Brooke, Lucas didn't mean it, whatever he did. He was so upset when I saw him this afternoon, Brooke."

"I know he was upset. I went to go see him and he yelled at me to get out, that he didn't want me there."

"He didn't mean that Brooke. He was embarrassed."

"Why! I just wanted to help him!"

"That's just it, Brooke. He's embarrassed to need help. He's embarrassed to be weak, and scared, and to need help. He's embarrassed for you to see him like this, vulnerable. He doesn't want you to pity him; he doesn't want to burden you. Eventually he'll get past it but you have to give him time to get used to all of this."

Brooke finally looked up at Nathan and he smiled slightly.

"Believe me, Brooke, Lucas loves you, he just doesn't know how to live with himself right now. He wanted to find you, to talk to you—but I made him stay home until later. He went to stand up to go after you and collapsed."

"Is it really that bad, like, all the time?"

Nathan nodded, 'Sometimes a little better, but mostly a lot worse."

"I'm sorry I wasn't there with him today. I'm sorry he was alone."

Nathan went to say something comforting again but couldn't. Brooke's last statement hit him hard as the guilt in the back of his mind crept closer.

"Me too," he said simply.

There was a silence between the two as they sat together in the hallway outside the gym. Nathan and Brooke had never been the best of friends, yet somehow, during those few minutes in that hallway, Nathan understood Brooke more than he ever had before. She really loved Lucas with everything she had. Nathan finally looked over at Brooke and smiled, pushing himself up and reaching out his hand to her. She smiled and took his hand, letting him pull her up slowly off the floor.

"I'll bring him to see you later, okay?"

"No, Nate. I'll come back over later. He shouldn't come all the way over to apartment today."

Nathan nodded and smiled, knowing Brooke was finally coming to realize the situation they were all accommodating too. She may have taken a little longer than Peyton or Haley to be there for Lucas, but she was also the last to find out, and he knew she meant the most to Lucas. Brooke threw here arms around Nathan's neck and hugged him quickly before pulling away and looking up at him.

"Thank you, Nathan…"

"Anytime, Brooke. Now, let's get to practice."

---

Nathan made his last free throw of the practice and passed the ball to his teammate before quickly wiping his face and jogging off to run his last two laps. When he finished, he collapsed, exhausted, onto the bench. He bent down and put his elbows on his knees, his face in the sweaty towel, enjoying the break. He felt someone tap his shoulder and he jumped.

"Whoa, son."

Nathan laughed to himself and leaned back against the bleachers.

"Hey, Coach. What's up?"

The old man sat down beside Nathan on the bench without a word and Nathan cocked his eyebrow.

"Coach? What's wrong?"

"Are you taking care of your brother?" Whitey asked bluntly.

"Yes, sir," Nathan answered, taking a serious tone.

"Good."

Whitey looked up to watch the other team members, some running their final laps, others still finishing their free-throws. Nathan followed the man's gaze and sighed.

"The team's beginning to wonder, Nathan. They're going to find out."

"He's thinking he might come to the game Friday night and tell them then—depends on how he's feeling after his second treatment Thursday."

"That's good, Nate. Get him here. He needs this place. Tell him he's welcome back at practice whenever he feels up to it and that we're all pulling for him. I plan on coming to see him later this week."

Nathan smiled and nodded as the man stood up and put a hand on Nathan's shoulder.

"You're doing good, Nathan. I'm proud of you."

And with that, the man walked off, leaving Nathan to sit on the bleachers, sweat dripping from his face and his mind racing.

---

Nathan was sitting in the armchair, eating cereal from the box with one hand, flipping channels mindlessly with the other, as Lucas laid on the couch.

"Would you please pick a channel!"

Nathan laughed and tossed the remote over to Lucas. The remote bounced off the back of the couch and landed on Lucas's stomach with a thud. He winced and closed his eyes, not wanting Nathan to notice.

"Hey! You're worse than I am!"

Lucas laughed, and Nathan heard a knock at the door, so he retreated from the room to answer it. Lucas heard whispering at the door and turned to see who'd come over. He turned just in time to see Nathan walking back into the room, followed closely by Brooke.

"I'll leave you two alone," Nathan said quietly, taking one last look at his brother who silently pleaded with him not to leave. The silence in the room was overwhelming. Brooke stood awkwardly in the doorway of the room, taking notice that the books she'd strewn all over the house were now stacked neatly on the table. Lucas stared at his hands, wracking his brain for something to say.

"Hi." Brooke finally said, her voice sounded cautious, and she edged further, tentatively, into the room.

"Hey." Lucas finally greeted, looking up to meet her gaze.

Brooke walked aimlessly around the room before finally sitting down on the couch beside him. She put her hand on his leg and took a deep breath as he finally looked up at her.

"Luke, are you okay?"

He looked awful, worse than she'd ever seen him. He was pale and weak, his eyes tired. He just nodded solemnly.

"Did, um, did Nathan talk to you?"

Brooke nodded and took his hand, smiling as it shook.

"I'm really sorry, Brooke. I didn't mean it. I want you here." He blurted out.

"I should've expected you to be mad, Luke. I should have realized, with everything going on, that it was going to be hard."

Lucas fell silent, not knowing what else to say, and Brooke took his hand in both of hers, staring at him.

"I do love you, Lucas," Brooke said quietly. "I want you to know that, no matter what, unconditionally and forever. I know it took me longer than Peyton and Haley and Nathan to be here and I'm sorry for that, but I'm here now. I'm not leaving your side, Luke. Whatever you need from me, know that."

Lucas looked up and her and smiled.

"I love you too, pretty girl" he whispered before planting a soft kiss on her cheek.


	10. Like Old Times

Chapter 9

Nathan and Haley were lying on their stomachs, side-by-side, on her bed in the apartment, a math book spread out in front of them. Haley was checking Nathan's homework and drawing red crosses all over the page.

"Are they really all wrong!" Nathan whined.

Haley put down the pen and put both hands on his shoulder, resting her chin on her hands, staring at him.

"What's up with you tonight, babe? Where's your head at?"

Nathan propped his head up on his hand and sighed.

"Everywhere…"

Haley nodded and laid on her side, beside him, waiting intently for him to continue.

"You know, falling behind in school and trying to keep up with practice, not getting enough sleep because my head is always spinning. Lucas has his second chemo and has that weird port thing put in tomorrow, you know?"

Haley rubbed his shoulder and nodded understandingly.

"The guys on the team are starting to figure out there's something up and I can't keep lying much longer. You know, Lucas just got over being sick from the last chemo! Now he has to go back? How am I supposed to help him do it all over again! Brooke's hanging around so that's helping I guess, but it just makes him put on the brave face even more. I need him to tell me when he needs help. I can't read his mind anymore. There's too much going on!"

"Whoa, whoa, slow down, Nate," Haley murmured, smiling and running her fingers through his hair.

Nathan sighed sat up, laying back hard on the pillows behind him on the bed, covering his face with both hands and sighing. Haley maneuvered around to lay next to him on the pillows, her hands on his shoulder and her head laying next to his, staring at him.

"Sorry, Hales. I didn't mean to come over here and dump all of this on you," he said quietly, taking his hands from his face and staring up at the ceiling.

"It's really okay, Nate. I want you to have someone to talk to. I don't want you to feel like you're doing this alone, okay?"

Nathan nodded.

"I know, I just feel responsible for him, you know? Like, Keith is still gone and Luke misses him. Dan is no help at all. He's really missing Karen a lot. I feel like I'm the only family he's got during all of this."

"But you're not, Nate. Karen will be home soon, and for now you've got me and Peyton and Brooke and Whitey. We're all here for Lucas and we want to help you out with this, Nate. Don't try to do it all by yourself. Let us help, okay?"

Nathan nodded again as she smiled up at him. He kissed her forehead in response before he slid his arms around her waist allowing her to snuggle up next to him, her head resting on his chest.

"I love you, Hales."

"I love you, too, Nate."

---

Nathan opened his eyes and instantly shut them, rubbing his head as the light filtering in through the window and hit his face. He looked around, taking in his surroundings, and immediately jumped off the bed. He was still at Haley's apartment, he had fallen asleep. He picked up his phone off the table and gasped as he read the glowing screen: 8 missed calls. "Damn it!"

Haley jumped and looked around, disoriented as Nathan fumbled around the room, looking for his keys, still halfway asleep.

"What the…! Nathan, what's wrong!"

"I fell asleep!"

"Yes…that's usually what people do at night…"

"No, I fell asleep here, with you! I told Lucas I'd come home before midnight so Brooke could go home and I could take him to his second chemo this morning!"

"Whoa, whoa, you've still got like, half an hour. Slow down, Nate!"

"No, I promised him I'd be there this time! Damn it, why can't I find my keys?"

Haley stood up and put both her hands on Nathan's shoulders, forcing him to look at her.

"Okay, look, I'll drive you over there, just calm down, okay? Lucas probably fell asleep and didn't even notice. It'll be fine…"

Nathan took a deep breath and kissed her quickly before taking her hand and pulling her towards the door.

"Great. Let's go…"

---

Nathan burst through the doorway breathlessly to find Lucas and Brooke seated casually on the couch. Lucas got up and Nathan went over to him, looking him over.

"Hey man, where were you last night?"

"I'm so sorry, Luke. I fell asleep at Haley's apartment last night…hi Brooke"

Brooke waved from where she sat comfortably on the couch and laughed at his delayed greeting.

"No big deal, Nate. I had um, company, last night too."

Nathan raised his eyebrow at him and Brooke laughed again as he looked at her with a sly expression on his face. As if on cue, they all turned as they heard the dreaded honk from the driveway. Brooke stood up and put her arms around Lucas's waist, kissing him softly.

"C'mon, Broody…"

Lucas laughed and used his good hand to lace his fingers with hers, walking towards the door. They all walked out to the car, ignoring the surprised look on Dan's face. Nathan opened the door and Brooke climbed into the backseat.

"You ready for this?" Nathan whispered to Lucas and he opened his own door.

Lucas smiled and bumped fists with Nathan before climbing into the front seat.

---

Lucas and Brooke laid next to one another on the small hospital bed. She was facing him, one hand softly laid on his hurt shoulder, the other clasped around his hand. Dan was supposedly outside talking to the doctor and Nathan was getting the scoop so he could come back and fill them both in.

"What're you going to do today, Cheery?"

"Wait on you."

"No, Brooke, please. I feel bad enough that you skipped school to come down here. You should go hang out with Peyton and Haley or do something fun, Brooke. I don't want you to feel like you have to hang around here all day."

"I don't feel like I have to, Luke. I want to. Besides, I figured it'd be nice to sit and talk with Nathan for awhile. The last thing he wants to do is talk to Dan all day, right? I think Peyton and Haley are coming to see you tonight anyway so I'll see them then."

"Great…party in the hospital," Lucas remarked dryly.

Brooke took her hand from his and ran her fingers through his hair.

"You know we don't mind, Lucas, really. We all just wanted to hang out tonight. Okay? It's not a big deal, I promise."

Lucas smiled and kissed her softly before showing he understood.

"I love you, you know that?"

Brooke smiled. "I love you too."

They sat in silence for a moment or two before Brooke finally got the nerve to ask the question she'd be longing to ask.

"Are you scared, Luke?" she asked softly.

Lucas's smile fell and he avoided her eyes, staring at the small space of bed between them, before nodding slightly.

She snuggled closer to him and traced the edge of the sling with her finger.

"Your hands are shaking, Luke," she said quietly.

He closed his eyes and nodded, willing them to stop. The embarrassment was getting to be a little too frequent. They both were startled from their thoughts as the door opened and Nathan walked in. He came over to the bed and sat down, laughing as Brooke sat up, seating herself on the edge of the bed casually as if she wasn't being caught doing anything wrong.

"So?" Lucas inquired, wanting to know what Nathan found out.

"It's a two-day thing, Luke."

Lucas groaned and put one hand over his face.

"You get the port today during surgery and the second chemo is tomorrow."

"Surgery?" Brooke asked quickly.

"Yeah, they said it's not a big deal. The port thing has to be put under the skin on Lucas's chest and it connects to a big vein or something near his heart, so then, when they have to draw blood or give chemo, they just stick a needle into the port."

Lucas shut his eyes, not wanting to think about any of it. He rubbed his temples with one hand and sighed. Nathan put a hand on his arm and smiled when Lucas opened his eyes to stare at him.

"It's gonna be fine, Luke."

"Sure it is," Lucas scoffed.

It wasn't long before the doctor came in and explained exactly what Nathan did, except in much more complicated terms as they Scott brothers attempted to listen. Brooke sat intently and Lucas squeezed her hand as the nurse gave him medication to calm down.

"The drugs should start working in a minute or two. We'll put you to sleep right after we take you into the OR. I'll see you there, Lucas. The nurse will be in to get you in a couple minutes," the doctor explained.

When both the nurse and the doctor had left the room, Nathan put a hand on Lucas's shoulder.

"How you doing, Luke?"

Lucas stared up at him and Nathan couldn't help but laugh.

"At least your hands stopped shaking, Broody. What are you laughing at, Nathan?" Brooke asked, confused.

Lucas turned his head to look at Brooke and she started laughing too.

"You okay, Luke?" she asked.

"Peeeerrrrfect!" he slurred, his eyes wandering.

"Luke, I have always pictured how funny you would look totally out of it."

"And this is so much funnier!" Nathan finished, both of them laughing.

Lucas mumbled something neither Brooke nor Nathan understood but they laughed even harder. Lucas stared up at the two, grinning, and his eyes out-of-focus. Brooke held his hand as Lucas kept mumbling nonsense. The nurse came in a minute or two later, smiling.

"Hi, Lucas. You ready to go?"

Lucas nodded, the goofy grin never leaving his face. As the nurse went to wheel the bed out the door, Brooke grabbed Lucas's hand once more.

"I love you, Luke. I'll be here when you get back," she said softly, kissing his forehead before letting go of his hand.

"We'll be here, Luke. Don't worry about it," Nathan added encouragingly.

Lucas grinned and nodded before he was taken away.

---

Brooke sat in the waiting room on a small, overstuffed couch beside Nathan who was fidgeting restlessly. Brooke put a hand on his shoulder and smiled.

"He'll be fine, Nate. I know it," she paused before continuing, "you did say it wasn't a big deal, you know."

"Yeah, they did. I don't know why I'm worried."

Brooke smiled, knowing exactly why he was worried.

"You know, you do a good big-brother act, Nate," she chuckled.

Nathan smirked slightly and nodded, jumping slightly when his phone rang. He motioned to Brooke that he'd be back and walked out of the room and down the hallway so he could answer the call outside.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Nate."

"Hey, Hales. Where are you?"

"The tutoring center. I still have like two hours left before I get off. How's Lucas doing?"

"I don't know. They took him into surgery about an hour ago. He should be out any time now."

"Okay, well, I'm not going to be there when he wakes up like I hoped I would be. I'm going to finish up here and then pick up Peyton. We'll probably snag some dinner for all of us and then head over there. Sound good?"

Nathan smiled as Haley talked faster than ever. Haley always talked fast when she was nervous.

"Sounds good, Hales."

"Okay, well, then, I guess I'll see you later."

"Okay. And Hales? Don't worry, okay? He'll be fine, I promise."

He heard Haley laugh nervously.

"Okay, love you, Nate. Bye."

"Love you, bye."

Nathan hung up the phone and smiled. He walked back inside to find Brooke on the phone and he motioned for her to take the call outside. Brooke laughed and then said good-bye, hanging up the phone.

"You know you're not supposed to use your cell phone in the hospital, right?"

Brooke laughed and shrugged.

"Who was your call from, Nate?"

"Haley, worried about Lucas."

Brooke nodded and Nathan asked her the same question.

"Peyton, worried about Lucas."

They both laughed but immediately looked up as the doctor finally walked in. He walked over to Dan, who had been sitting on the other side of the room, flipping through magazines the entire day without a word. After exchanging a few words, Dan left and the doctor walked over to Brooke and Nathan.

"The surgery went well. The port is in place and Lucas is in recovery. He'll be back in his own room shortly. We'll watch him tonight and then tomorrow. If all goes well, he's have his second chemo treatment and be sent home. He's groggy now and his chest will probably be sore for a few days, but that's nothing out of the ordinary. The nurse will give you a couple of pamphlets about how to care for the new port. Any questions?"

Nathan and Brooke stared blankly before Nathan shook the man's hand.

"Thank you. Can we see him now?"

The man nodded and Brooke and Nathan followed him out of the room.

---

Brooke followed Nathan into the room, grabbing his arm as they rounded the corner.

"Hey, Luke…" Nathan said softly, making their presence known.

Lucas heard Nathan's voice and opened his eyes, squinting as the light hit. He was dizzy and felt like someone was sitting in his chest. Simply breathing hurt like hell, but he managed to smile as his brother and girlfriend entered the room. Brooke and Nathan took seats on either side of the bed, Nathan in a chair and Brooke on the edge of the bed. Nathan put his hand on Lucas's good arm and Brooke ran her fingers through his hair.

"You okay, man?" Nathan asked.

Lucas nodded and swallowed hard before replying.

"Yeah…my chest hurts."

Lucas's voice was raspy and Brooke took his hand, willing herself not to cry as her boyfriend lay still, wincing with each deep breath he took.

"Don't cry, pretty girl. It's okay," Lucas whispered softly, reaching up to wipe the single tear that had run down her cheek.

Brooke gently laid down beside Lucas and ran her finger gently over his chest. Lucas closed his eyes, trying to ignore the nagging pain in his chest every time he took a breath.

"You tired, Broody?"

Lucas nodded, not wanting to open his eyes for fear that the world underneath him would tilt. He felt Brooke run her fingers through his hair and sit up.

"Oh…I'm so sorry, baby," she apologized, noticing the sharp breath he took in as she moved.

Lucas nodded slightly, indicating he forgave her as he let out the breath.

"You get some sleep, man. We'll be back later with Haley and Peyton." Nathan said, taking Brooke arm and leading her out the door.

---

Nathan and Brooke stood outside the hospital almost two hours later, waiting for the two other girls to arrive.

"Nate!"

Both Brooke and Nathan turned to see Haley running towards them and Peyton walking a little slower behind her. Haley ran into Nathan's chest and he immediately wrapped his arms around her. She stared up at him with worried eyes.

"He's okay, Hales."

Haley sighed and rested her head against Nathan's chest and he kissed the top of her head as Peyton finally caught up. Brooke nodded, signaling Lucas's condition to her and she smiled, putting a hand on Nathan's shoulder and hugging Brooke.

---

Later that night, they were all sitting around Lucas's hospital room, half-eaten plates of take-out strewn everywhere. Nathan and Haley were snuggled into the arm-chair which had been pulled beside Lucas's bed. Brooke was lying beside Lucas, his one good arm hugged tightly around her waist, and Peyton was sitting in the chair on the other side of the bed, flipping through channels with the remote. A nurse poked her head around the door and smiled.

"Visiting hours are over, guys; time to say good-bye."

Haley got up from where she sat and grabbed Nathan's hands, pulling him to his feet. Peyton immediately got up and starting throwing away the plates and take-out boxes. Brooke rolled over gently and slowly rose to help Peyton clean up. Haley walked casually over beside the bed and Nathan followed, slipping both arms around her waist as Lucas stared up at the both of them with sleepy eyes. Haley put a hand softly on Lucas's chest and smiled sympathetically.

"Does it still hurt?"

"Only when I breathe…" Lucas joked, smiling weakly.

"It'll get better, man. Don't worry about it, just get some sleep and we'll be here in the morning to check you out, head over to clinic, and then you'll get to go home. Alright?"

Lucas nodded, showing no emotion as his world tilted again. Lucas raised his hand to bump fists with his brother and smiled as Nathan turned to the door. Haley leaned down to hug Lucas, as gently as she could, but she still felt him tense up underneath her as she quickly pulled away.

"I'm sorry, Luke."

"It okay, Hales," he smiled and said softly.

"I'll see you tomorrow when you get home, okay?"

Lucas smiled again and nodded, squeezing her hand before she turned and went after Nathan. Peyton finished with the trash and then walked over to Lucas's bed, putting a hand on his arm.

"You gonna be okay, Luke?"

Lucas nodded and smiled.

"Thanks for coming, Pey," he said softly.

Peyton nodded and smiled, squeezing his hand once before turning towards the door. Knowing she was waiting to be the last one, Lucas waited until Brooke came up to the bed. She walked slowed over and grabbed his hand, smiling at him.

"How you doing, Luke?"

Lucas nodded, smiling at her.

"I had fun tonight, Brooke, really. Thanks for doing this. It was like old times."

Brooke smiled and bent down to kiss his forehead softly.

"It is just like old times, Broody. I'll see you tomorrow, okay? I love you."

He squeezed her hand and nodded.

"I love you too, Pretty Girl, so much…" he trailed off, letting go of her hand as she walked backwards slowly towards the door. She blew him a kiss and smiled once more before turning out the light and leaving the room. Lucas closed his eyes and let the darkness creep in around him

---

The next day seemed to come too soon for Lucas. Before he knew it, he was sitting in the all-too-familiar armchair, except this time, Brooke and Nathan were in the room with him. The same nurse from the previous treatment came into the room and smiled at him.

"Hey, Lucas. How are you today?" she asked, glancing down at the chart and pulling up a stool in front of him to sit on. Lucas nodded, not saying a word.

"Well, you had a port inserted. Yesterday was it?" she asked in a conversational tone, probably already knowing the answer.

Lucas nodded again and Brooke took his hand.

"Well, then, this time will be a little different than the last for you," she explained.

All three teens turned towards her.

"This time, we'll insert a smaller needle right into the skin above the center of the port instead of a needle in your arm."

Brooke felt Lucas's hand tense up inside of hers and cleared her throat.

"Will it hurt?" she asked, knowing Lucas wanted to know the same thing.

"The first couple of times, yes. After awhile, the skin above the port starts to toughen up and he won't even feel it. Until then, he will feel the needle going in. Normally, we would use medicine to numb it a little first, but since he just had the port inserted yesterday, we don't want to irritate the skin any more than we have to. Since the skin is still sore, we're going to use ice this time," the nurse explained, slowly pulling the bandage from Lucas's chest.

Brooke glanced down and saw Lucas's face go pale. She squeezed his hand and Nathan stood behind Lucas, putting a hand on his shoulder. The nurse smiled and handed the ice to Brooke before glancing back down. Brooke held the ice to the tender area on Lucas's chest and rubbed his arm when he winced. When he opened his eyes again, she smiled.

"You okay?"

He nodded, clenching his fists as Brooke took the ice away. Nathan squeezed Lucas's good shoulder and Brooke held his hand as the needle went in. Brooke saw him squeeze his eyes shut and hard him draw in a sharp breath through his teeth. The nurse pulled away and Lucas let out a shaky breath, tears on the brims of his eyes. Brooke continued to squeeze his hand and Nathan patted his shoulder encouragingly.

"Good news is that that was the worst one, Lucas. You did it. It's always the worst just after you get the port. It's all downhill from here," she said, patting his shoulder before getting up to leave. "I'll be back in an hour."

Nathan took a seat in the chair across from Lucas and Brooke staid beside him, holding his hand.

"You okay now?" Nathan asked.

Lucas smiled as best he could and nodded, leaning his head back as Nathan grabbed the remote. Nathan switched on the TV and let Brooke pick a channel as they all restlessly sat back to watch. Every once in awhile Brooke or Nathan would glance over at Lucas. Finally, towards the end of the movie they'd chosen, Brooke looked over at Lucas to find his face pale and his eyes closed.

"Luke? Lucas?" she asked, gently shaking him.

Nathan turned around as Lucas opened his eyes halfway.

"Are you sure you're okay? What's wrong?" Brooke asked.

"Really tired, dizzy," he responded simply.

Nathan opened his mouth to speak but was cut off when the doctor and nurse walked in. Nathan stood behind Lucas again, Brooke holding his hand, as the same routine seemed to occur. Lucas shut his eyes and drew in a sharp breath, letting it out shakily when the nurse was finished. The doctor smiled and motioned for them all to follow him out the door. Lucas used his good arm to push himself up off the chair and stood, swaying back and forth unsteadily. Nathan reached out and caught his back, standing him up straight. Lucas's eyes focused and he instinctively put his arm around his brother's shoulder for support.

"C'mon, man. Let's get you home, okay?"

Lucas nodded and walked forward slowly, his eyes half-closed, with Brooke trailing cautiously behind.

When the teens reached the hallway Nathan met eyes with his father for the second time that day. The car ride to the hospital had been awkward, Dan driving with Nathan and Brooke in the backseat. This time, Nathan was surprised to see worry in his father's eyes as he looked at Lucas walking slowly towards him. The doctor said his final words and walked off as the teens approached Dan. Lucas lifted his head from where he was staring at the floor and met eyes with Dan. Nathan couldn't believe the sympathy in his father's eyes as he stared at Lucas.

"C'mon. Let's get Luke home, okay?" Brooke interrupted, worried by the dazed look in Lucas's eyes.

Nathan took a step forward but Lucas didn't follow, causing him to lose his grip. Dan wrapped a strong arm around Lucas's waist from the other side and glanced over at Nathan.

"Let's go. Let's get your brother to the car," he said awkwardly.

The ride home was slow and just as awkward. Brooke volunteered to sit up front while Lucas sat beside Nathan in the back. Nathan had one hand on Lucas's arm, making sure he didn't fall over, and glanced at Brooke in the rear view mirror.

Lucas felt horrible. His chest and head were throbbing and he felt as if there were tons of brick lying on top of his whole body. Even lifting his head took more effort than he was willing to muster. His stomach was churning and he knew that if they didn't get home, he wouldn't be able to hold his stomach much longer. Dan took a sharp turn onto another street and Lucas felt his stomach lurch. Nathan looked over and immediately hit the back of his father's seat.

"Pull over!" Nathan yelled quickly.

Nathan got up from his seat, running to the other side of the car and opening Lucas's door, helping him out. As soon as Lucas's felt his feet hit the ground beside the car, his legs buckled and he fell to his hands and knees on the side of the road, his stomach violently emptying. Brooke and Nathan kneeled behind him, each with a hand on his back as they waited for Lucas to get control. Finally, after a minute or two Lucas was finished. Nathan helped him stand and Brooke squeezed his hand again.

"Are you okay now? Can you make it home?" she asked.

Lucas nodded and Nathan helped him climb back into the car. They all got back in and Dan took off again.

"Sorry, Dan," Lucas mumbled sleepily.

Dan glanced back in the mirror to see Lucas half-asleep on Nathan's shoulder.

"It's okay, son. It's okay…" he trailed off awkwardly as they pulled into the driveway. Dan and Nathan got out and helped Lucas to the front door. When they reached the door Nathan slid Lucas's arm around Brooke's shoulder and let her lead him inside.

"Nate?" Dan grabbed Nathan's arm and he turned around to face his father.

"Is Lucas feeling that bad? All the time?"

Nathan hesitated before nodding. He knew Lucas wouldn't want Dan knowing how weak he was, that he wanted to act strong for anyone he could, but somehow, Nathan felt that Dan should feel partly guilty for this.

"I'm sorry. Tell him I'm here…if he needs anything," Dan said softly before turning and walking back to the car. Nathan stared after his father in amazement before shaking his head slowly and walking in. He went into the living room to find Lucas and Brooke already fast asleep, Lucas wrapped in Brooke's arms, on the couch. Nathan smirked to himself and threw a blanket over the two, seating himself in the armchair with the remote and the phone, a small smile on his face.


	11. A Little Support

**Hey guys! The next chapter! Woo! This chapter isn't my favorite, kind of a filler, but if you'll stick around, I promise next chapter will be really good! I'm excited to write it! I finally have the entire story outlines out and I'm predicting it to be 25 or 26 chapters long. We haven't even gotten to the good stuff yet so just bear with me! Once again, I want to thank my AWESOME beta Melissa for helping me out so much! This story would be crap and would like, never get updated if it weren't for her! So…I'm doing shout-outs this chapter to see if I can encourage more people to review. Well, here's chapter 10! Enjoy!**

**Mythology-** Thanks for reading! I do the exact same thing! Whenever I'm craving an update for someone's story, I just read the entire thing over again! Haha! Thanks for reviewing, enjoy the new chapter:)

**Brucasfanatic-** Glad you found the story! A lot of people were confused about how I was going to play out Brooke's role in the story at first. It took her awhile to get into the swing of things, but she's definitely there now! Just so you know, Brooke is probably my favorite character so I would never do her wrong in a story. I love the Brucas and the broho stuff too! This chapter's mostly Broho, but I promise, next chapter will have TONS of Brucas lovin! Thanks so much for reading and reviewing! Enjoy!

**Lucasscottlover1-** Hey! Finally another update! I love all the angst too. It seems easier to write. Haha. Glad you like the story! I adore all of yours too! Thanks for reading and reviewing! Enjoy!

**Iftheyonlyknewthetruth-** I know, Dan being nice is a shocker, right! Haha, I have much planned for our evil fatherly figure friend. Thanks for reading and reviewing! Enjoy:)

**NaleyBrucasfan-aka Lizzy-** Haha, love the review. Very urgent. Well, no worries. I'm back. Here's the newest chapter! Thanks for reading and reviewing! Enjoy:)

**Symmy-** Yay! Glad you liked the last chapter! Here's the newest one! Thanks for reading and reviewing! Enjoy:)

**TVHollywoodDiva-** Thanks for reading and reviewing! Here's the newest chapter! Enjoy:)

**TutorWife123-** Haha, I'm glad you enjoyed the Lucas drugged up scene. I had fun writing it. After writing all of the tearjerky stuff, it's nice to make the readers laugh once in awhile! Haha. Here's the new chapter. Thanks for reading and reviewing! Enjoy!

**TREEHILLADMIRER-** I feel sorry for Lucas too, but it does make for a lot of lovey Bro moments, doesn't it? Hahaha. Here's the new chapter. Thanks for reading and reviewing! Enjoy!

**Nemo123489-** Here's the new chapter. Thanks so much for reading and reviewing! Hope you enjoy:)

**xSmile-** Haha, thanks so much for the compliment. It pretty much made my day, just for the record. I try really hard to make it real, the medical mumbo jumbo and everything. Thanks so much for reading and reviewing! Enjoy the new chapter:)

**Camilla19-** I always look forward to your reviews, for real. I love all the Brucasness and Brother stuff too. This chapter's mostly Brother stuff but the next chapter is definitely gonna be filled with Brucas lovin! Dan…what can I say, haha. He has a lot going on. I guess we'll just have to see how genuine his actions are. Thanks for reading and reviewing! Hope you enjoy the new chapter:)

**Brucas622-** Yeah, Lucas being sick is so sad! But, on the bright side, it does make for some nice fluffy brotherly moments! Haha. Thanks so much for reading and reviewing! Enjoy the new chapter:)

**MuldyMath-** Thanks so much for reading and reviewing! I'm glad you like the story! Hope you enjoy the new chapter:)

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Chapter 10

Nathan walked over to where Lucas sat on the armchair flipping mindlessly through channels, and sat down on the coffee table in front of him.

"Here, to help your stomach," Nathan said, handing his brother two large pills and a glass of water. Lucas gratefully swallowed the pills and closed his eyes, taking a deep breath and resting his head against the back of the couch. After a moment or two of silence, he opened his eyes again and handed the glass back to Nathan. Nathan smiled sympathetically, putting a hand on Lucas's knee.

"You're sure you're okay? I mean, you really don't look good, man."

"I'm fine, Nate, really. I guess the effects of the chemo are just lasting longer this time. It's better than it was yesterday. You go get ready for the game. I just need to chill for awhile."

Nathan nodded and pushed himself up. As he stood, something caught his eye. He cocked his eyebrow and reached over, grabbing the object from the table beside Lucas and sitting back down on the coffee table. Running his fingers over it, he gazed at the framed picture of Lucas and his mom.

"Where did this come from, Luke?"

Lucas hesitated and shifted uncomfortably in his seat before responding.

"I found it in the drawer when I was um…cleaning up. I guess I just forgot to put it back."

Lucas went to grab the picture, but Nathan pulled away, still staring at the photo intently. Lucas sat back and sighed. A moment later Nathan finally looked up from the picture and handed it back to him. Lucas fingered the picture gently before placing back on the table beside him.

"You miss her." Nathan spoke. It was more of a statement than a question.

Lucas took a deep breath and nodded. "It's hard, you know. Every time she calls from New Zealand I want to tell her everything, just all of it, and then I realize I can't. I don't like lying to her, Nate. She knows something's wrong and she's upset that I won't tell her what. I think something might be going on with her, too. I don't know…maybe I'm imagining things. I just…I just want to see her," Lucas confessed, staring at the floor as he spoke.

"I know, man. I wish you would just tell her! You know, she'd drop everything she was doing and come to be with you Luke, no questions asked. In fact, she's going to be mad as hell when she finds out you kept this from her. She's going to be mad as hell at us all."

"I just want her to be happy, for just a little while longer. Once I tell her this, her life is going to change, and not for the better. I mean, look at what it's done to you and to Brooke. I don't want my mom to drop everything she's worked for to come home to this," he said softly, motioning towards the pile of empty prescription bottles on the counter. Lucas leaned his head back and Nathan saw the tears forming at the corners of his brother's eyes. He stood up and gently placed a hand on Lucas's shoulder.

"You do what you've gotta do, man. We're going to support you no matter what." He patted Lucas's shoulder once more before leaving the room and letting his brother sit in silence.

---

When Nathan walked back into the room, his uniform on and his bag slung over his shoulder, Lucas was standing in the corner of the room, spinning an old basketball with one hand. As he walked over, Nathan spoke, "You sure you wanna go to the game and tell the team tonight, Luke? I mean, it's not a big deal to cover for you until next week."

"I'm going to tell them tonight, Nate. I can't wait any longer. There's just…there's something I have to do first. Can you drive me by somewhere before we head over to the school?" Lucas asked, handing Nathan the basketball and heading towards the door, not waiting for a response.

"Yeah, sure, man. What did you want to…" Nathan stopped mid-sentence. Lucas was already out the door, and he stared down at the basketball his brother had held. Across the surface, amateur signatures were scribbled on the leather: Mouth, Skillz, Fergie, Junk and Lucas. Nathan knew what Lucas needed to do.

---

The guys were playing a pick-up game at the court, Mouth sat on the sidelines, scribbling stats in his notebook when Lucas and Nathan drove up. Lucas sighed and bumped fists with his brother before climbing out of the car. Slamming the door behind him, his hand went to the side of the car for support as a wave of dizziness hit him. Closing his eyes and willing the dizziness to pass, he took a step forward and walked slowly towards the picnic tables. Skillz was the first to call time-out and jog over to Lucas.

"Where've you been! We've been missing your scrawny ass around here, dawg!" Skillz stopped a few steps ahead of Lucas, warily approaching him.

"Luke?" he asked cautiously, as everyone on the court stood, walking towards him slowly. "You don't look…what's wrong, man?"

Lucas smiled as best he could and walked over to the picnic tables, the three other players following him. When he reached the tables, Mouth reached out and helped him sit.

"Luke, what's up?" Mouth asked, clearly concerned.

Lucas looked into the faces of his friends and knew this was what he needed to do. This had always been his world. He needed to tell them before he told the team; it just seemed right. Now, sitting beside Mouth and staring into the faces of the guys he'd always been able to talk to, he couldn't find the words he needed to say. He knew his pale complexion and his shaky hands were giving him away, not to mention the things they couldn't see, the nagging pain in his chest when he breathed, the way his head throbbed with each turn, his stomach which churned every time he stood up or sat down. Lucas snapped back to reality as Mouth broke the silence.

"Luke?"

Lucas looked around once more before clearing his throat and playing with the edge of the sling.

"I uh…I have to tell you something."

The silence in the air was almost too much for Lucas to handle. Their stares seemed to burn holes right through him. Finally, Lucas cleared his throat again.

"I wanted to tell you guys before I told the rest of the team, because your reactions will probably be a lot worse than theirs, and I don't know, I thought you should know and…" he said quickly, his mouth moving faster than his brain. "I'm sick. I have cancer."

No one moved. No one uttered a single word. Skillz silently sat down on the other side of Lucas, placing a hand on his shoulder. Mouth tilted his head to the side and put a hand on Lucas's knee. Fergie and Junk took a seat on the bench in front of the table, facing Lucas. And there was silence. Lucas knew his hand was shaking, his head was throbbing, his chest was pounding, and he was afraid they could hear his heart beating.

"W-when did you, find out?" Skillz asked, more serious than Lucas heard ever heard before.

"Um, about 2 weeks ago."

"Who else knows?"

"You guys, Nathan, Haley, Brooke, Peyton, and Whitey. I wanted to tell you because I plan on telling the team tonight."

There was silence again as all four of them stared at Lucas.

"So…?" Lucas inquired, wanting any sort of reaction to break the silence.

"We knew something was up, Luke. We just…didn't think it would be this." Mouth confessed quietly.

Lucas nodded and Mouth turned to wave at Nathan who was still watching from where he sat in the car.

"You're going with Nathan to the game tonight?" he asked.

"Yeah, I planned on telling the team after the game." Lucas said, cradling his head in one hand.

"Are you sure, Luke? I mean, you look miserable."

"Yeah, yeah. I'm fine. The effect of the chemo don't usually last this long, so I wasn't expecting it. I'm fine."

Nathan honked the horn, signaling for Lucas to hurry and Lucas waved in annoyance.

"Well, I guess this is it." Lucas stood and stared at the four guys he'd come to know as brothers. Mouth smiled sympathetically and stood, embracing his friend, followed by Skillz.

"We'll see you later, man. Okay?" Skillz asked. Lucas nodded and bumped fists with all four guys before walking slowly back to the car. Skillz sat back down on the picnic table and stared straight ahead, shaking his head in disbelief as Mouth put a hand on his shoulder and the four of them sat in silence. "Shit," he muttered, just loud enough for the other three to hear.

---

In the locker room, Lucas sat on the bench in his warm-up suit as the team got ready to play.

"Hey! You not playing again tonight, Luke?" a member of the team called out.

Lucas looked up and met his eyes and the boy immediately cocked his eyebrow in confusion. Nathan walked over to his brother.

"Luke, please go home. You look like you're about to pass out."

"I can't. I have to tell them tonight. I'm fine, Nate. I'll be fine." Lucas said for what seemed to be the billionth time that day.

"Okay, but right after the game, you'll let me take you home?"

"Yes, Nathan. Yes," Lucas said, faking an annoyed tone. They both laughed and Lucas stood against the lockers as Nathan called the team together.

"Alright, guys. Tonight we play Hoover. We can do this. Who are we!"

The entire team put their hands together and brought them back up, shouting "RAVENS" and cheering.

"Please welcome to the court, your very own—Tree Hill Ravens!"

"Let do this!" Nathan called, leading the team out of the locker room. Lucas went to follow the last player out but as he reached the door, a wave of dizziness hit him. He reached out and leaned against the wall for support as his stomach lurched. He heard someone stop in the doorway and come over to him. He didn't have time to look up as his stomach lurched again and he threw himself over the trash can. Getting sick, he heard someone say his name and he hoped it was Nathan. When he was finished, he wiped his mouth and closed his eyes, standing back up straight, only to face Tim Smith. Tim was one of Nathan's closest friends and was a pretty good player on the team. Now, looking quizzically at Lucas from the doorway, he was the most intimidating person Lucas had faced all day.

"Lucas?"

"I'm fine, Tim. Don't worry about it, okay? Just go play and please…don't tell Nathan."

Tim gave him another confused look before nodding and leaving the locker room after the team.

The crowd cheered as the Ravens team jogged onto the court. The cheerleaders were finishing up their routine and the music was blaring. Lucas followed the team out slowly and headed over to the bench. From a distance, he saw that the row behind the bench which Whitey usually kept reserved for special visitors was occupied. As he got closer and closer, he recognized them. The guys from the river court were sitting behind the bench and Whitey was standing in front of them, grinning slyly at Lucas. When he reached them, Whitey put a hand on his shoulder and smiled.

"I thought you could use some support," motioning to the guys behind him.

Lucas smiled and nodded.

"Thanks, Coach."

---

The game seemed to go by too fast. With all of the weird looks he was getting from the team and the cheerleaders, the constant sounds of squeaky shoes and the bounce of the ball, his stomach churning, his head throbbing, Lucas didn't want the game to end. The game ending meant he had to come clean; he had to tell the team his secret. The pitying looks were what he didn't want, but he knew they were to come. Before he knew it, there he was, standing against the lockers in the locker room as his team jumped and shouted, celebrating their victory. Whitey stood watch from the doorway of his office and looked sympathetically at Lucas. Nathan looked to Lucas and Lucas nodded, signaling that he was ready.

"Hey, hey! Everybody listen!" Nathan shouted, waiting until everyone turned around. "I know you've all been wondering and asking questions about why Lucas hasn't been at practice. Well, he's got something to say."

Nathan stepped aside and put a hand on his brother's shoulder, showing his support as Lucas took a deep breath and closed his eyes. The last thing Nathan would want to know is that his small gesture of brotherly support had just sent sharp pain shooting from his shoulder through his entire body. Lucas took a shaky breath and opened his eyes, doing his best to ignore the black splotches that danced in front of his eyes, his shoulder throbbing.

"Nathan is going to take over as full time captain because I won't be playing anymore this season."

There were whispers and gestures before Tim spoke up.

"Why, man?"

Lucas closed his eyes again and Nathan squeezed his shoulder. Nathan felt Lucas flinch and immediately took his hand away, a look of worry washed over his face. Lucas opened his eyes again and looked into the faces of his teammates.

"I'm sick, I have cancer." Lucas said simply, more calm than he'd imagined he'd be.

This time, after Lucas spoke, there was silence. Lucas shifted his eyes to gaze at his coach and a wave of dizziness overcame him. He took a step back unsteadily and leaned back hard against the lockers.

"Luke?" Nathan asked quietly, hoping the team wouldn't hear. "Lucas, are you okay?"

Lucas opened his eyes and felt the world shift underneath him as he stared back at his brother.

"I'm fine," he said again, his voice cracking.

Tim Smith stepped forward and the rest of the team looked to him.

"We're here if you need us, Luke. You know that, right?"

Lucas nodded, immediately regretting it as his head pounded. He stepped forwards and bumped fists with Tim, followed by a few other members of the team. His knuckles ached.  
"Alright, guys. Hit the showers! I can't stand being in here with you any longer!" Whitey called, lightening the mood. As the team scattered, Whitey walked over to Lucas, putting a hand on his back.

"I'm proud of you, Lucas. You did good, son."

"Thanks, Coach."

---

Lucas walked unsteadily out of the locker room and into the empty gymnasium. He rounded the corner and almost ran into Brooke who was standing against the wall. She looked into his eyes and smiled sympathetically before she slipped her arms around his waist and felt him sway back and forth on his feet.

"You okay?"

"I told the team…" he said softly, avoiding her gaze.

"Good, Luke. I know it must have been hard for you."

Lucas didn't say anything. He closed his eyes and wished the pain in his shoulder would dull, his head would stop pounding, his stomach would stop churning, the world would stop spinning.

"Broody, are you okay? Want me to take you home?"

Lucas shook his head. "Nathan's waiting for me in the car," he answered.

"Okay, well, I guess I'll see you later?"

Lucas smiled as best he could and nodded.

"I love you, Luke," she said softly, letting go of his waist and taking a step back.

"I love you too," he whispered, kissing her forehead and turning around.

Brooke watched as the boy she loved walked slowly across the empty floor and out the double doors. She leaned her head back and slid down against the wall, sitting on the floor. Feeling the tears prick her eyes, she blinked quickly and looked away.

---

Nathan walked out of the showers and rubbed a towel over his head, shaking the water out of his hair. When he rounded the corner to put his uniform back in his locker, he stopped. Standing against his locker was none other than Dan Scott.

"You played a great game, Nate. Where's Lucas?"

"He's waiting out in the gym with Brooke. What do you want, Dad?"

"I want you to talk to me!"

"About what!"

"About you, about your brother! I want you to let me help you out! And I don't mean just driving Lucas to clinic, I mean really helping you! You have no idea how much it killed me to see your brother like that, and I didn't even know about it! No one bothered to tell me my son had cancer until it was convenient for you! I want to help, Nathan."

"You can't help—he doesn't want your help and I don't want your help! Damn it, Dad! Listen to yourself; everything you just said is about how you felt! Did you ever stop to think about how Lucas is feeling? You just want to help to satisfy your guilty conscience, but I don't care if you feel guilty! I have other things to think about." Nathan finished, his voice lowering, "why the hell do you think we would want your help, after everything you've done? Lucas could die, and now you think it's time to play nice, act like a real father? Sorry, but you never had a chance. I'm not going to let you near him. Lucas has too much to deal with already—more than anyone ever should." With that, Nathan slammed his fist into the locker and stalked out of the locker room without another word. When he reached the gym he threw his bag to the ground and put his hands to his head, mumbling angrily to himself.

"N-Nate?" he heard someone say quietly.

He turned around to see Brooke sitting against the wall.

"What are you doing, Nate?"

"I just, I had a run in with Dan. I'm sorry, I—"

"No, no, I mean what are you doing here? Lucas left awhile ago and said you were waiting in the car to take him home."

"What! Sh-t, Brooke, he could be anywhere! We've got to find him!"

"Hey, hey, it's fine, just calm down," Brooke said, standing up and putting a hand on Nathan's shoulder to stop him from pacing.

"I, I have to find him!"

"Nathan, calm down. You go home to see if he's there, and I'll go stop by some places in town. Call me if you find him. Okay?"

Nathan took a deep breath and nodded before picking his bag up from the floor and taking Brooke's hand, dragging her quickly towards the door.


	12. Needing Normal

**Hey everybody! I know, it's been like, forever! And I'm sorry. Guard has started up again which means I'm putting in 8 hour days on the football field. This chapter isn't very long but there's a lot happening in it. The next chapter will be longer and involve more of the characters so don't worry. I've the story outlined to be about 25 chapters, give or take. I just wanted to take a minute to thank all of you who has followed me through this story and kept writing reviews. They mean a lot to me and they inspire me to write more. I got two reviews yesterday, hence the new chapter! Woo! Anyway, I hope you enjoy the new chapter:-) **

Chapter 11

Nathan threw open the door to the apartment, quickly scanning the living room and kitchen.

"Lucas!" he called out desperately.

He heard footsteps in the back bedroom and he felt his breath catch. As a figure came around the corner, he stepped forward only to almost run into Haley.

"Nathan, what's wrong?" she asked, putting her hands on his chest.

"I, um, we can't find Lucas…" he said, his mind racing and preoccupied with finding Lucas.

"Wait, who can't find Lucas?"

"Me, and Brooke. He told Brooke he was leaving with me after the game so she let him go, but now we don't know where he is! We can't find him," he said quickly, panicking with each passing minute.

Haley put both hands on his shoulders, shaking him slightly.

"Nathan, listen. You know Lucas. He probably just needed some time alone, to think, like he always does. I'm sure he's fine. You can't keep getting worked up like this, okay?"

"You don't understand, I talked to Tim on the way out of the game, and when I asked if he'd seen him, he said Lucas was throwing up in the locker room before the game. It's not like Lucas to just not tell me. Something wrong, Hales, really wrong."

"Nathan, you're freaking out over nothing! How do you know something's wrong?"

"I don't know! I just do, okay? I don't care if you don't believe me! Are you going to help me find him or not!" he asked, clearly frustrated.

"Yes, of course. Look, I believe you, okay? Let's go check the café and his house first, and then we'll decide where to go from there," Haley finally said, taking control of the situation. She grabbed Nathan by the arm and picked up her keys, both of them rushing out of the apartment, the door slamming behind them.

---

Lucas stood in the middle of the rivercourt staring at the hoop as if it were the only thing left. He gripped the ball in both hands and spun it between his index fingers. Glancing to the side, he saw the sling that had held his hurt shoulder in place before; he had angrily removed it and threw it to the ground. Lucas turned as he heard a car drive towards the court, breathing a sigh of relief as it passed without stopping. He knew Nathan would worry, probably sending Brooke and Haley to help look for him, but the last thing he wanted was to be found. His head was pounding and his stomach was churning much worse than at the game. He hated that he was this sick, and now he was sick constantly. He knew he should be at home, but he couldn't face anyone. He needed to be out here, alone, just him and the court, just like old times.

Bouncing the ball once against the pavement with his good arm, he felt the adrenaline pumping through him. Glaring at the basket, he slowly raised both hands, gripping the ball carefully. Bending his knees and closing his eyes, he took a deep breath and blocked everything else out. He had never found anything else that could give him that rush, the feeling that he had power—that he could control what was going to happen for the better. Opening his eyes and refocusing on the basket, he mentally counted down, 3…2…1. He let go of the ball and immediately felt the surges of pain run from his shoulder through his entire body. Just as suddenly as that amazing feeling had come back to him, it was abruptly taken away as his body started to shake. He grabbed his shoulder, cradling it with his other arm and stumbled over to the table, his world spinning. Lying down on the picnic table, he stared up at the sky as he felt his world rock back and forth beneath him. His head was pounding and his hands were shaking. A pain he'd never experienced over took him. Inhaling sharply, he felt the tears sting his eyes.

"Luke?"

Lucas opened his eyes, trying to focus on the voice he'd heard and where it was coming from. A figure standing over him came slightly into focus and he felt the person sit beside him on top of the table, staring into his face. He quickly blinked away his tears and tried to focus.

"Brooke?"

His voice was shaky and he sounded uncertain. She put a hand on his face and another on the shoulder he was cradling. He flinched and groaned involuntarily.

"Oh, Lucas…"

"I wanted to play, Brooke," he answered simply, closing his eyes to keep the tears from spilling over.

Brooke scooted over, positioning herself to sit on the edge of the table, and stared down at him. She let her fingers graze his shoulder before putting a hand to his chest, feeling his heart pounding beneath his shirt.

"Luke, what did you do?"

"I thought I could do it, I thought I was strong enough…" he replied through gritted teeth.

Brooke sighed and ran her hand gently over his chest. He blinked away his tears as best he could and took a deep breath; not letting go of his shoulder, he tried to sit up. Brooke cautiously put a hand behind him to assist. He sat beside her on the table, both of them resting their feet on the bench. She stared out at the court and saw the ball sitting in the grass under the goal. She looked back to Lucas and frowned. He was resting one elbow on his knee, his head in his hand, his bad arm still cradled to his chest.

"Lucas? Did you try to shoot the ball with your bad shoulder?"

Lucas didn't look up. His eyes still closed and his head still resting in his hand, he nodded shamefully. Brooke put a hand on his back and leaned closer to him.

"Luke, you know you're not supposed to be out, much less trying to play basketball. You could really hurt yourself, Broody," she said, playfully adding his old nickname.

There was a long pause before Lucas finally lifted his head to face her. His head felt heavy and when he looked up, all he saw was her blurry silhouette through his tears. When Brooke saw his tears, she felt her breath catch. She immediately wrapped both her arms around him and he leaned into her small shoulder, letting his tears fall silently. Brooke ran her hand down his back, feeling her shirt grow damp with his tears. She could feel his heartbeat, still too fast, and his hands were shaking.

"Shhh, it'll be okay, Luke," she finally said quietly.

With that, he pulled away and stared at her, shaking his head slightly. She stared at him, confused, as he slowly got up off the table, stumbling onto the court. Brooke fought the urge to get up and run after him as he paced aimlessly back and forth across the pavement.

"Luke…"

"No! It's not going to be okay, Brooke! I'm not okay!" he said, his voice rising.

Brooke fell silent, taken aback.

"I'm not okay! I can't even shoot the damn basketball anymore without getting sick! I'm sick all the time! I can't go anywhere or do anything like I used to!"

"It's just part of getting better. You'll get through it, Lucas."

"No! I'm tired of it! I don't want to get better! I just want my life back! I want things to go back to normal!"

With that, Brooke felt tears form in her own eyes. She knew he'd been feeling like that, but she didn't know it would hit her this hard to hear him say it. She continued to watch him as he paced back and forth, still cradling his shoulder and losing his balance from dizziness every couple of steps.

"Lucas, you should really sit—"

"I can't! I don't want to! I want things to be normal, Brooke! I came out here to feel normal, but I can't! I want to be able to take you out again, to spend time with everybody outside of the hospital and my living room, to be able to play ball again with the guys! I want my life back, Brooke!" he exclaimed. She watched as he stumbled over and picked up the ball with both hands, stepped back, and stared.

"I don't want to feel this bad all the time, Brooke!"

"Luke, you're sick. You don't, I mean, you really need to sit…" she started, getting up and slowly making her way over to mid-court where he stood. As he saw her approaching, he gripped the ball, bending his knees again.

"I want my life back, Brooke. I want everything to be normal again!" he shouted as he tossed the ball hard towards the basket. When he let go of the ball, he knew something was wrong; his feet hit the ground again and he felt something change. His shoulder went completely numb and fell to his side, and his head stopped pounding. The feeling was replaced by a light, floating sensation. He took one quick look to the side to see a horrified look on Brooke's face as he realized what was happening. Almost as if in slow motion, he looked to the ground as he fell, and his vision slowly faded to black.

Brooke watched as the boy she loved fell to the ground. She rushed towards him but didn't get there before hearing his head hit the ground with a sickening thud. She immediately kneeled down beside him, sitting down and taking his head in her lap. She put two hands on his face, gently shaking him.

"Lucas, Luke…Lucas! Lucas, don't you dare do this to me! Open your eyes now, Lucas! Don't do this! Please, Luke. Please, please, wake up. Please…"

Tears fell freely from her eyes as his unmoving form lay in her lap. She quickly pulled out her phone, dialing the number with trembling fingers.

"Brooke! Did you find him yet?" Nathan answered.

"Nathan, Nathan, help me! Help me, please!" she sobbed into the phone.

"Brooke, slow down, what happened. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, no, I mean, Lucas, he needs help!"

"What happened?"

"I found him down at the rivercourt and, he was really sick Nathan, like, sicker than he's ever been, and he started to get upset and get mad and started yelling and tossed the ball and just, fell, and now he won't wake up! Nathan, I don't know what to do! Help me, please!" she sobbed, rambling as she shook Lucas with her other hand.

"Brooke, listen to me. Calm down. Call the paramedics. We'll meet you at the hospital. You're going to do fine, just call and we'll meet you there. Everything will be fine."


	13. Sunshine

**Hey everybody! First off, I want to extend a very sincere thank-you to all of you who have reviewed the story! I got an amazing number of reviews for the last chapter, more than I've ever gotten for a chapter before, and it really made me feel good! So thank you so much for that! Another big thank-you to my gracious beta, Melissa (photoboothromance) for rewording and fixing the crap of a chapter that I send to her! This story would be nothing if it weren't for her y'all! I'll probably do shout-outs next chapter so if you have any big questions or comments about the story so far, please put them in your comment and I'll respond to each of them in the next chapter! I really liked this chapter and it's pretty long, so enjoy! Please leave reviews:-) --justine **

**-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Chapter 12

Nathan ran to the small waiting area, and he quickly scanned the room, with Haley following close behind. Seeing the brunette girl huddled on a single chair in the corner, he hurried over. Brooke looked up and made eye contact with Nathan for the first time. He bit his lip as he saw the tears flowing down her cheeks. Standing in front of Brooke, he opened his mouth to ask what was going on, but stopped suddenly as she rose from her chair and buried her face in his chest. He sighed, in an attempt to compose himself, as he wrapped his arms tightly around her small frame, her body shook as she sobbed. He let her cry for a minute, blinking hard to rid himself of his own tears, before putting both hands on her shoulders and backing away.

"Brooke, what's going on? Where's Lucas right now?"

"I…I don't know. They, they t-took him away and t-they won't let me see h-him or t-tell me anything," she said, trying desperately to control her wavering voice.

"Okay, just, uh, stay here, okay? I'll go see what I can find out," Nathan said quickly, turning to Haley. He put a hand on her shoulder as he passed. "Stay with her, please."

As soon as Nathan had turned to walk in the other direction, Haley met eyes with Brooke. The two exchanged tear-filled glances, before taking each other in a tight embrace.

"I'm so scared, Haley…" Brooke muttered into her shoulder.

"I know, I know, me too."

"What if he's really sick? What if I didn't do the right thing? Why didn't I stop him before he threw that stupid basketball!" Brooke wailed.

Haley pulled out of Brooke's embrace and faced her, wiping a tear from her cheek and tucking a wisp of hair behind her ear.

"Brooke, this is not your fault, at all. Okay? Lucas is sick, and what you did or didn't do has nothing to do with it. I'm sure he'll be fine," Haley said, her voice drifting off with the last statement, unsure as to whether she was trying to convince Brooke or herself.

Nathan approached the two girls again, breaking the moment. Brooke immediately started to ask questions but was interrupted.

"What did the—"

"The damn hospital won't tell me anything! That's crap! I sure as hell have a right to know whether my brother is doing okay!" Nathan practically shouted.

Haley put a hand on his chest.

"Nate, calm down. What did they say?"

"They said that Lucas was in good care for now and that they would send his doctor out to talk to me as soon as they could…" he mumbled.

"Okay, I'm sure it won't be that long. We can wait. Brooke, why don't you go call Peyton and let her know what's going on?" Haley asked. "Nathan, you know, um, you should really call Dan."

Nathan looked up at her in surprise, his eyes wide.

"Why the hell would I do that?"

"Because, Lucas needs him. You need him."

"I do not, and neither does Lucas. We've gotten through seventeen years without his help and I don't planning on changing that now!"

"Nathan, Lucas is going to need medication, things they can't give him without Dan's signature, and you can't be here twenty-four/seven. You need someone else to take over once in awhile. Okay? Please?" Haley resorted to begging.

Nathan sighed and rubbed his temples with his fingers before nodding and turning to leave, digging his phone out of his pocket on the way out. Haley watched her husband leave and sat down in the chair behind her, taking a deep breath for what seemed like the first time. She let the tears run down her cheeks as she sat in the empty room, waiting for news about her best friend's condition.

---

Almost an hour later all four friends were sitting restlessly in the cramped room. Brooke and Peyton were sitting together on the floor silently, their fingers intertwined as they comforted each other. Haley sat on the couch, wrapped in Nathan's strong arms.

"Family of Lucas Scott?" a man asked, entering the room.

All three girls immediately looked from the doctor to Nathan, who stood up on command, following the doctor around the corner. The man extended his hand as he introduced himself.

"I'm Doctor Lawson. I took care of Lucas when he was brought in, and you are?"

"Nathan Scott, I'm Lucas's brother. How is he?"

"Your brother is stable now. When he was brought in he was unconscious and dehydrated; he had an excessively high fever and his breathing was irregular. I understand he had a port inserted recently?"

"Yes, sir."

"Ahh, well, as you already know, Lucas's chemotherapy dramatically weakens his immune system, making it very easy for him to get sick when other people wouldn't. When your brother had the port inserted, an infection developed and rapidly escalated because Lucas's body was not strong enough to fight it. Did he complain at all about not feeling well or get sick earlier tonight?"

Nathan immediately felt guilt rise to his throat from the pit of his stomach. He knew something had been wrong, but he let Lucas go to the game anyway. He berated himself for not having acted on instinct and insisted Lucas to skip the game.

"He said he felt fine, but he always says he's fine. A friend saw him get sick earlier tonight," he confessed.

"That was to be expected. Since his body was trying so hard to fight the infection, his fever rose to a startling height and caused his severe dehydration and exhaustion."

"But you said he's stable now, right? He's fine? So we can see him?"

"No, wait Nathan. I said he's stable, but he's not out of the woods yet. His body is still trying to fight the infection. Right now, he's been put into a medically-induced coma."

"What's that mean?"

"It means we put him in a coma with medication; we are keeping him that way until his body is strong enough."

"So, how long is he going to be out?"

"We're estimating two or three days, could be more, could be less. After that he will be allowed to wake up on his own."

Nathan took a deep breath and nodded.

"But, he's okay, right? I mean, he will be? He's going to be okay?"

"Yes, Nathan. Lucas will be fine. This might be a setback in his treatment plan he wasn't counting on, but he'll get through this. You and your friends can go back and see him whenever you want. I'll be back to check on him every couple hours. Okay?"

"Okay, thank you," Nathan said, shaking the man's hand.

---

"Oh my god…" Brooke whispered to herself as she rounded the corner and she saw Lucas for the first time. She immediately stopped at the foot of the bed and fell to her knees, putting her head in her hands she sobbed silently. Nathan took a quick look at his brother and then bent down behind Brooke, softly rubbing her back with his hand.

"Brooke, shhh, he's okay. I promise," Nathan said quietly.

"No he's not, Nathan. Look at him," Brooke responded, slowly rising to her feet to stare at Lucas. Nathan put both his hands on her shoulders from behind and took a deep breath as both of them took in the sight of Lucas lying motionless in the bed.

"Go talk to him, Brooke," Nathan coaxed her, pushing her forward. Brooke took a step backward, shaking her head.

"I can't. Look at him, Nathan. He's not himself. He's sick, and he's not…Lucas," she whispered.

"Brooke, listen to me. Lucas is still in there. He's sick, but he's going to get through this. Lucas is tough. He won't let this beat him. I know it's hard, but he still needs you when he's like this. Talk to him, please, like you normally would?" Brooke turned to Nathan and threw her arms around his neck, rising up on her toes to embrace him. "I'll just leave you two alone for awhile." He whispered in her ear.

"No, wait Nathan. Could you just, stay here, please? I don't want to be alone with him yet."

Nathan nodded and pulled away, taking a seat on the couch in the far corner of the room. After receiving a smile and an encouraging smile from Nathan, Brooke sat down tentatively at Lucas's bedside.

"Hey, Luke. It's me…" she started, her voice shaky as she took his limp hand in hers. "Can you hear me?"

Brooke felt tears sting her eyes as Lucas didn't respond. Beyond her blurred vision, she fixed her gaze on his body. The numerous tubes running to and from Lucas's body and the machines surrounding the bed were intimidating as Brooke shifted closer, leaning her elbows on the edge of the bed.

"I don't even know if you're in there, but I'm going to talk, and you can listen. That's how it always is, isn't it? I talk and you listen. You always smile when I talk, and I never quite figured out why. I talk too much, but somehow you love me anyway; you love me for it. But Lucas, I was so scared tonight. Why would you scare me like that? You know, I know it's taken me awhile to trust you, but I want you to know that I care about you more than anything else in the world. I can't lose you, and I don't want to lose you. You've made me a better person, Lucas. I feel like a different Brooke Davis when I'm with you, and I like this Brooke. Please don't leave me. I don't know if I can continue being this better person if you did. I love you." Brooke squeezed his hand and the tears pricking the back of her eyes streamed down her cheeks as he didn't respond. "Squeeze my hand, Lucas. Please show me you're there," she pleaded.

Nathan stood up from where he had sat and walked over placing a hand on her shoulder and rubbing it gently.

"He can't do that, Brooke. You know he can't do that. He's there, I promise, but he can't squeeze your hand; not yet."

"I just want to know he can hear me, Nate," she stood up and wiped the tears from her face.

"I'm sure he's listening to you, Brooke. He just can't respond right now, okay? As soon as the doctors take him off the drugs he can start to wake up. Until then you just have to trust that he'll come back to us,"

Brooke took one last look at Lucas and then stared up at Nathan, nodding her head in agreement silently.

"Why don't you go find Peyton and Haley in the cafeteria and tell them they can come see Lucas now? "

Brooke nodded again and let her hand brush against Nathan's arm as she turned to walk away. She caught his gaze once more and smiled.

"Thanks Nathan," she whispered.

"For what?" he asked, cocking his eyebrow.

"For showing me that everything will be okay," she responded, before turning and walking out the door.

Nathan smiled to himself and then looked back to his brother, taking a deep breath, he sat down in the chair beside the bed.

"This hospital thing has been getting a little too regular in our lives, bro," Nathan joked half-heartedly. "I don't know if you can hear me, but I want you to know I'm here, man. We're all here for you. I don't know why you felt like you were doing it alone, but I don't want you to feel like that. You're not alone, Lucas. You had so many people worried about you tonight, man, and if you were awake I'd kick your ass for worrying us all like that. I don't want you to act like you're okay when you're not, Luke. I know you want to be tough, just like you always were, but you can't do that. You have to learn to depend on your friends, man. We just want you to get better. I know you can't show me if you're hearing me, but I hope you're listening. We need you back. I miss my brother," Nathan finished, wiping away the tears that had welled up in his eyes. He sighed and relaxed into the chair, before standing up and turning to see Haley enter the room and make her way towards the edge of the bed, the look on her face was similar to what Brooke's had been. Haley took one look at Lucas and embraced Nathan, pressing her head into his strong chest.

"I just want him to be okay, Nathan," she cried.

"Shhh, he will be. Just give him a couple days. He'll get through this, Hales," he said comfortingly. "Look, I've got something I need to take care of, so why don't you stay here? Just, talk to him awhile. I'll be back, okay?"

Haley nodded and Nathan smiled once more before leaving.

---

Nathan woke up and stretched out his arms, feeling the stiffness in his back from where he'd slept on the couch the past two nights. He immediately sat up and rubbed his eyes, squinting as he looked around the bright hospital room. Haley was sleeping on a cot in the corner, and Brooke in the chair beside Lucas's bed.

It had been two days since the accident, two long days, and they were still waiting. The last night had been the most difficult. He had laid on the couch and watched as Brooke cried herself to sleep in the chair beside Lucas. As soon as the doctors had informed them that they were taking Lucas off the drugs, Brooke had tried her hardest to get him to react. Nathan had watched a crushed Brooke cry when his brother didn't respond. He knew realistically that it would be days before Lucas would be able to respond to them, but it didn't make it any easier.

Haley seemed, different than she had before, so calm and so put together. It was almost as if it didn't bother her any longer. She went on with her life, making sure they all had food during the day and games to keep them occupied in the small room. One thing which had bothered him was how he hadn't actually seen her talk directly to Lucas since he'd been admitted to the hospital. He knew it was hard for her, a lot harder than she was letting on, but he hoped she would come to him soon and talk to him about what was going on with her.

Nathan got up and walked over to the bed, putting a hand on Lucas's shoulder.

"C'mon, man. Rise and shine. We're all waiting for you…" he said, not expecting a response. He sighed and took one last look at the two sleeping girls before turning to go out of the room. When he rounded the corner, he ran into a man and was almost knocked off his feet.

"Oh, I'm so sorry. I wasn't watching where I was—Dan?"

He stared into the face of his father, his expression hardened.

"What are you doing here? I thought I told you to stay away! We don't need your help. I don't need you, and Lucas doesn't need you!"

"Nathan, I gave you three days. I have a right to see my son."

"You don't even have the right to call him your son!"

"You're wrong. He is my son, and I don't need him to end up dead, especially while his mother is out of the country. One more thing that woman would have to hold against me."

"What about 'we don't want you in our lives' do you not understand?"

"Listen, you said that I'm here for Lucas out of guilt, and that's part of the truth, but this is also giving me a chance to be a part of my other son's life. I know you wanna play the good guy here, the one who can handle everything, but you can't, so let me take over, You're only 17, Nathan. You can't handle this."

"I'm 17 and can't handle this? Lucas is 17, too, and he's handling his situation! I know what Lucas needs. If you'll excuse me, I have to go take care of it."

Nathan stalked off in anger, not taking a second glance. Dan lifted his head from where his eyes were fixated on the ground to come face-to-face with Haley. She gave him a half-smile, somewhat sympathetic, and he stared back at her, clearly confused at her reaction to his presence.

"Do you have something to add?" Dan asked sarcastically.

"The room is empty. You can go see your son if you want. I'll go talk to Nathan," she said, once again smiling sympathetically before making her way down the hallway.

---

Haley ran down the hallway, catching up to her husband.

"Nate!" she yelled.

He immediately turned around, clearly surprised to find such rage and anger from his wife. She caught up to him and forcefully threw her fist into his shoulder.

"Hey! What was that for?" he asked, putting a hand to his shoulder.

"For being a complete jerk!"

"To who?"

"Dan!"

Nathan's eyes widened.

"I was standing right behind you! I thought we agreed, Nathan. I know you have things against your father but Lucas needs him! Dan has a right to see Lucas. He is paying for all of his medical bills."

"Just because he's paying for it doesn't give him a right to have a say in anything."

"Yes it does. Do you hear yourself? Nathan, I dislike Dan as much as the next person, but you have to give him a chance to prove himself. The first time he screws any of us over during this mess, I'll let you go back to being a total ass towards him. In fact, I'll encourage you, but until then, give him a chance."

Haley stared up at her husband hopefully. He glared at her and looked away.

"Fine…" he mumbled before turning around.

Haley grabbed his shoulder.

"Where are you going?"

"I have to take care of something," Nathan said firmly.

Haley's face fell, and Nathan stalked off in the opposite direction.

---

Brooke stood outside the hospital, her hands trembling as she dialed the familiar number.

"Brooke? Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, P. Sawyer. I just, um, wanted to see what you were doing."

"You had to get out of there, huh?"

Brooke smiled as she thought of her best friend reading her mind once again.

"You know I can't hear you nodding over the phone, right?" Peyton laughed.

Brooke cracked a smile and put a hand through her hair, spinning around.

"When are you coming down here, Pey? I can't do this anymore!"

"Brooke Davis, you're strong. You can do this. I'll be down there later tonight. I'm working Haley's shifts at the café all day today."

"I miss you, friend," Brooke whined.

"Oh, don't give me that crap. You can do this, I know you can. Just go talk to Haley for awhile, get some food, don't sit around by yourself, okay?"

Brooke nodded and then laughed.

"You're nodding again, aren't you?"

Brooke laughed again.

"I gotta go, later Brooke!" Peyton said quickly before hanging up. Brooke smiled and hung up the phone, heading back into the hospital.

---

Haley sat at a small table with Brooke watching Nathan from afar. They had seen him walk into the cafeteria, but he didn't come over to them. He had hesitantly taken out his phone and since then had been nervously having a pretty guilt-filled conversation with whoever was on the other end from what Haley could observe.

"Who do you think he's talking to?" Haley asked.

"I don't know, but whatever they're talking about, Nathan looks really guilty," Brooke answered.

"It could be Dan, or Whitey?"

Just then, they watched Nathan hang up the phone and walk over to where they sat. He took Haley's hand and sat down in the chair next to her.

"Nate, who was that? Who did you call?"

Nathan looked up and took a deep breath before answering.

"Karen…"

---

Dan hesitantly sat down beside the bed, leaning back in the chair.

"Hi, Lucas," he started out, clearing his throat. "I know you're probably wondering why I'm here. In fact, you probably don't want me here. Nathan made it very clear that he doesn't. Lucas, I know I haven't been much of a father to you and I'm sorry, but it wasn't only my choice, it was your mother's as well. Even if you don't want it this way, I'm your father. So get well, Lucas; I know you're capable. Scotts are fighters, so don't let your brother down, and don't let me down. I know better than anyone that not being able to play and live a normal life is tearing you apart, but you'll get it back. I hope you're hearing all of this." With that, Dan took his son's limp hand, squeezed it once, and got up from his chair with a sigh.

---

"You did the right thing, Nate," Haley said softly as she sat across from Nathan in the cafeteria.

"No, I betrayed him. I told him I wouldn't call his mom. I told him I had his back."  
"You do! You're taking care of him the only way you know how. Karen deserved to know, Nathan. It's long enough. She's going to freak when she gets here."

Nathan opened his eyes and sat up, his heart skipping a beat as his caught a glimpse of the woman standing in the doorway of the large room.

"Uh-oh, speaking of…" he said quietly, getting up from his chair.

Haley turned around in her chair to see Karen walking towards them. She immediately stood up, standing behind Nathan in support. When Karen reached them, she had tears streaming down her face.

"Karen, I'm so sorry. I—"

Haley gasped as Karen reached out and slapped Nathan across the face.

"How could you not tell me!" she asked, enraged.

Nathan took two steps back towards Haley, his hand on his jaw, all the while staring at Karen in a state of shock. Haley watched as Karen's face immediately dropped and she stepped forward, tears streaming down her face. She put her hands across her chest, trying to contain her sobs as she looked up at Nathan in distress. His expression softened and he took his hand from his face, wrapping his arms around Karen's sobbing frame.

"I'm sorry, Nathan…" she choked out.

Nathan didn't say a word. Haley gave him a reassuring half-smile as she hesitantly placed a hand on Karen's back. After taking a deep breath, Karen pulled back, regaining her composure as best she could.

"Where is he?"

Nathan put a firm hand on her arm, leading both her and Haley out of the cafeteria.

"I'll take you to him…"

---

Brooke sat by Lucas's bedside, holding his hand in hers. Haley and Nathan had gone off to get real food, leaving Brooke to sit alone with her unresponsive boyfriend.

"Lucas, I know you're in there. Please, I need to know you're still here. I need to know you're coming back to me. Don't leave me hanging, Luke. You need to wake up. I miss you so much, Broody," she whispered.

She gasped and her heart swelled as she felt the slightest tug on her hand. She watched in amazement his fingers tightened slightly around her own.

"C'mon, Broody. I know you're in there. There are so many people waiting for you to come back, Luke," she said quietly, staring at him intently. She jumped as she heard the door open and she instinctively stood up, letting Lucas's hand fall back to the bed.

"Hey, Nathan. I was just um, talking to him."

"That's cool, Brooke. I just, uh, have someone that needs to be alone with him for awhile," Nathan said quietly.

Brooke cocked her eyebrow in confusion and felt her face fall as another figure entered the room behind Nathan.

"Karen?" Brooke managed to get out.

She immediately rushed over and enveloped Karen in her arms.

"I'm so happy you're here. I'll leave you two alone…" Brooke said quickly, though reluctant since Lucas had seemed to have been waking up. She took Nathan's hand and dragged him out of the room behind her.

---

"Oh my god, she's here! What did she say? What happened?" Brooke rambled on once they were in the hallway. Haley put a hand on her shoulder and laughed.

"She slapped me…" Nathan said, a small grin graced his face. Haley laughed again and Brooke put a hand to Nathan's jaw.

"Oh my god, she did! Why?"

"She was scared, and upset, and I kept the fact that her son has cancer a secret from her for almost three weeks."

"Well, yeah, but still…"

"She had every right to. It doesn't matter. She didn't really mean it. She was upset. We need to give her some time alone with Lucas. She already talked to one of the doctors before she came up here. It was a very heated discussion," Nathan laughed.

"I'll bet…" Brooke said sarcastically. "C'mon Tutorgirl and boy, let's go find decent coffee."

---

Karen took in the sight of her son through teary glances and wiped her eyes, sitting down beside him. His shoulder was held tightly to his chest in a sling and his face was pale. She grabbed his hand and scooted closer to the bed.

"Oh Lucas…how could you keep this from me? I thought I would never have to see you in a hospital bed again and now this…I just don't know what to do. You should have told me, Lucas. I would have dropped everything I was doing to come home to you. I love you, my boy. I know you're there and I know you hear me. Please, please open your eyes, Lucas. I missed you," she cried. Karen laid her head on top of Lucas's hand, letting her tears fall to the bed.

"Don't take my sunshine away…" she cried softly.

"I missed you, too…"

Karen lifted her head to see Lucas's eyes half-open. His voice was raspy and he smiled as best he could. Karen stood and leaned over, embracing her son softly, tears falling down both of their faces.

"I love you, Mom…" he whispered.


	14. Wise Words

**Okay, it's been forever and a half. I know. I deserve like "Worst Author Ever" award for it, but I'm back. Thanks to snfan, Mythology, jeyton4ever, symmy, xSmile, AndiK, TVHollywoodDiva, FiveForFighting09, Fieldhockey, lucasscottlover1, and nemo123489 for reviewing and keeping me motivated to come back! This chapter isn't what I wanted to be, but I wanted to post SOMETHING for you. I lost my beta because I haven't updated since August so if you're interested in beta'ing for me, please let me know. Also, I'm looking for someone who is good at writing NC-17 fics to write a scene of next chapter. If you think you're up to it, please let me know and I'll let you know what's going on. I've had this chapter written for about 2 weeks but I've been grounded from the computer so it kind of messed up my plan of posting. Anyway, enough excuses. I hope you like it! Enjoy! justine **

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"Oh, Lucas," Karen cried, taking her son in her arms, tears streaming down her cheeks.

Lucas winced slightly at the pressure of Karen's embrace on his aching body, but didn't dare pull away. He closed his eyes and welcomed the safety of his mother's presence. It felt like he hadn't seen her in years. She pulled away and looked into his dazed, tired eyes.

"Lucas, I'm going to go get the doctor, okay?"

Lucas nodded, immediately regretting it as his head lowered and he struggled to hold it up. He laid his head back and sighed deeply, his breath catching in his throat as his chest tightened. He lifted his shirt to find a bandage where his port had once been. The last thing he remembered was being on the rivercourt with Brooke, hearing her call his name and not having the strength to answer her. He was overwhelmed as the memory came flooding back to him. He was abruptly pulled back into reality as the doctor walked in, followed by his mother, brother, and girlfriend.

"Well, Lucas, good to see you finally awake. How are you feeling?"

"Like hell..." Lucas said honestly, putting a hand to his chest.

"Now that you're awake we should be able to give you more medicine for the pain. We're going to give you a day to rest before we go any further with treatment. The port is gone because of the infection you contracted, but you are scheduled to have it put back in the day after tomorrow."

Lucas blinked hard, a lump forming in the back of his throat at the thought of having to go through that again, but bit his tongue to keep his face from falling.

"After that, we will be able to get you back on your chemo treatment schedule and release you to go home in a few days. Sound good?"

"Yes, sir," Lucas tried to say strongly, his cracking voice clearly giving away his fears.

The man smiled sympathetically and quickly called in a nurse to give Lucas medicine for the pain. When she was finished, both she and the doctor smiled once more and left the room.

All at once, his mother, brother, and girlfriend made their way to his bed, Karen sitting on one side, Nathan on the other, Brooke on the edge of the bed. Karen reached out and put a hand to Lucas' arm.

"I'm so glad you're back, Lucas," she said softly.

"You too, Mom. But, how did you know? I mean, when did you know?"

Karen looked to Nathan who looked down at the floor guiltily. "Nathan called me when you were brought in here. I was so happy he did. Lucas, I can't believe you didn't tell me."

"I know. I'm sorry, Mom. It's just, for once, you really seemed happy, and I didn't want to ruin that for you."

"That doesn't matter, Lucas. I'm just happy I'm here now. I don't want you to go through this without me."

"I didn't exactly like going through it without you either, Mom," Lucas joked half-heartedly.

"So, Karen, what about? I mean, how are you? I mean, Andy?" Brooke tried to ask politely.

Karen smiled. "Andy is in New Zealand. We cancelled the wedding."

Lucas felt a pang of guilt hit his in the stomach.

"We both decided that as much as we love each other, there's no way for us to make it work. His dreams are there with his family, to teach university there. My dreams are here, with my son, and my café, and my friends, the life I've built for myself in Tree Hill. I couldn't leave that. I still love Andy, and I probably always will, but I couldn't give up my life, and he couldn't either."

Brooke put a sympathetic hand on the woman's shoulder. "I'm so sorry, Karen."

Karen just nodded and smiled. She then rose from her chair and put a hand on Lucas's aching head. "I have to go take care of some things, but I'll be back, okay?"

Lucas smiled up at her as she left, then turned his attention to his brother who was sitting beside him, still staring at the ground.

Nathan sat in suspense, waiting for his brother to blow up, furious at him for calling Karen against his word. Instead, he watched in awe as Lucas reached out a slightly shaky fist for Nathan to hit. Nathan warily bumped fists with his brother and Lucas smiled.

"Thank you, Nathan," Lucas said simply.

Nathan finally smiled. "I'm sorry, Luke. I know you said not to call her, but I didn't know what else to do. You needed her, man. We all did."

Lucas nodded in agreement. "I know. You did the right thing, Nate. You've had this weight on your shoulders for too long already. You shouldn't have to worry so much about me."

"I do worry about you, Luke. We all do. We just needed to call in backup, something we should've done when this all started."

Both boys laughed and Nathan got up, hugging Lucas before standing.

"I'm glad you're back, big brother. I don't know what I'd do without you."

Lucas smiled and then laughed, nodding towards Brooke.

"Oh, okay, so, I'm going to go?" Nathan questioned.

Lucas smiled mischievously.

"That would be a yes. Okay, I'll see you two later. Bye, Brooke. Bye, Luke."

"Bye, Nate. Tell Haley to come visit. I miss my Bunny Beaugard."

Nathan looked at him and cocked his eyebrow, confused. Lucas laughed and waved him off, not wanting to explain the joke.

As soon as Nathan had left the room, Brooke scooted closer to Lucas and kissed his cheek, running her fingers through his hair, tears clouding her vision. As a tear ran down her cheek, Lucas reached up and wiped it away.

"It's okay. Don't cry, pretty girl," he said softly.

Brooke's lip trembled and she leaned forward, burying her face in his chest.

Lucas groaned slightly when Brooke's weight hit his chest and shifted the sling on his shoulder to the side, but he simply ran his free hand up and down her back, letting her cry. He ran his fingers through her hair and she finally sat up. "I'm so sorry, Lucas."

"For what?"

"For not knowing what to do. You were upset and running and yelling about how you wanted your life back, and then, you collapsed and I had no idea what to do."

"You did help me, Brooke. You were calling my name, I remember. And even though I wasn't responding, that helped me. I was scared, Brooke. I fell and I knew something had happened, something worse than ever, because I couldn't respond to you. I tried, and I couldn't, and it scared me. But you kept talking, even when I didn't answer. You helped me, Brooke. You helped me remember to keep hanging on, Cheery."

Brooke looked to Lucas and kissed him softly. "I'm so glad you're back. I love you, Luke."

"I love you, too, Brooke."

---

The next day, Lucas' friends all came to visit. The guys from the rivercourt, a couple guys from the team, Peyton, Brooke, Nathan, and Haley. They all seemed to be trying their best to treat him as they always had, and he appreciated it. In fact, the one person acting the weirdest was Haley. But he didn't worry about it too much. The day went by all too quickly, and before he knew it, the day was over, his friends were gone, and he was alone, scared of what the next day brought him.

---

Nathan carefully slid his lunch tray onto the top of the round concrete table in the middle of the quad, taking a seat next to Haley, across from Brooke and Peyton. They all sat in silence for a moment before Peyton spoke up.

"Where were you this morning, Nate?"

"Lucas had his surgery this morning. So I went and sat with Karen until he was done. It took longer than I thought it was, so I guess I'll have to make up that test I missed second period."

"Is he okay? I mean, do you know?" Brooke asked anxiously.

"I waited until they were done. They came in and told us that everything went as planned, that he would probably be awake by this afternoon when we leave school. Whitey has already excused me from practice. I'm sure he'd excuse you three also if you asked."

Brooke and Peyton nodded in agreement. "Sounds good. I want to see him. He was so nervous about it. Did he get this nervous the last time and I just didn't notice or something?" Brooke asked.

"I think last time, he didn't know about how much it would hurt. This time, he knew, so he was dreading having to do it again."

Peyton nodded. "Do you think he'll be able to go to the game?"

"I don't know. I hope so. I think it would do him good. Even if he can't play, it would be good for him to be able to be around everyone outside the hospital again, like before."

All four of them got up from the table, throwing away the remains of half-eaten lunches and walking towards the double doors of the school.

"It's so hard, you know. Acting like it's no big deal and acting like you're not worried. He says he doesn't want us to worry, so I try to act like everything's okay, but it's not. I'm scared as hell, and I know he is, too. I just want so badly to believe that everything's going to be okay" Brooke confessed.

Nathan put a friendly arm around Brooke's shoulder and pulled her into a side-hug as they walked. "He knows we're worried, and he knows we can see through his tough-guy act, but he does it anyway. That's just the kind of guy Lucas is. As hard as it may be for us to act like everything's okay, we have to. Because if we don't believe that, then I don't know what else to believe."

Brooke smiled and pulled away. "Thanks, Nate. So, does everyone want to meet up here after school and then head over to see him?"

Nathan, Peyton, and Brooke nodded, but Haley took a step backwards. "I don't think so. I um, I have a student that needs some extra help at the tutoring center, and uh, I should probably go to practice to help out since you two won't be there," Haley said nervously.

"Haley, don't worry about practice. It doesn't matter. Lucas wants to see you," Nathan said.

"I just, I can't, okay?" Haley said quickly, turning and quickly walking into the school. Nathan looked after her, stunned at her reaction. Brooke put a hand on Nathan's arm. "I'll talk to her..."

---

Brooke walked in to the dim, quiet room and smiled at Lucas who was laying on the bed, his eyes closed. "Hey there, Luke."

Lucas' eyes opened and he searched the room, his gaze falling on Brooke. He smiled and waved her over. She stood beside him and kissed him softly, noticing the tired look in his eyes.

"How're you feeling?"

Lucas smiled weakly, debating for a split second whether or not to lie. "Not so good."

Brooke's eyes filled with concern and he immediately regretted telling the truth. "I'm sorry, Broody. Anything I can do?"

Lucas scooted over on the bed and patted the small, open space beside him. Brooke understood the gesture and climbed carefully beside him, enjoying the warmth of his body next to hers. Lucas laid on his back and she laid on her side facing him. She ran her fingers along his chest, slowly lifting his shirt. Clear tape covered the new port and Brooke swallowed hard at the sight of the raised, black bruise surrounding the stitches. She fingered it lightly. "Does it hurt?"

Lucas nodded slowly. Just then, Nathan and Peyton walked into the room. Nathan stopped midstep and laughed. "I'm sorry, are we interrupting something?" he asked and Brooke quickly pulled Lucas' shirt back down and sat up.

"No, hey, Nate. Hey, Peyton," Lucas said.

"Hey, man," Nathan said, greeting his brother with half a hug and a fist. "You feeling any better? I didn't get to see you afterwards this morning."

Lucas shook his head. "They gave me stuff for the pain, but it didn't help much, made me sick earlier."

Nathan's face fell.

"Where's Haley?" Lucas asked quickly.

Nathan looked to Peyton and Brooke for help.

"She had to help out at the tutor center this afternoon and she took over practice so Brooke and I could take the afternoon off," Peyton lied quickly.

"Oh, okay. Tell her to come tomorrow then," Lucas said warily.

The four friends talked for almost a hour, joking and laughing, before they were interrupted again and the doctor walked in. He greeted all four of them, checking over Lucas' charts before addressing him.

"Are you feeling any better, Mr. Scott?"

Lucas shook his head.

"Well, we'll monitor it tonight and see how everything works out. We may keep you off chemo for another day if you don't feel up to it. We don't want you getting sick again."

Lucas nodded and the doctor scribbled on the small clipboard.

"Doctor? Will Lucas be able to come to the game Friday night?" Nathan asked boldly, gaining a sigh from Brooke and Peyton who'd be wanting to ask the same thing.

"I'm afraid not. We'll have to keep Lucas here until Saturday afternoon, or Sunday, depending on when he starts treatment again."

All three faces fell and Lucas felt a knot forming in the pit of his stomach.

"Well, Lucas. You have another visitor outside. You have ten minutes, and then you should get some rest."

Lucas nodded and the doctor left. All four watched the door, awaiting the unexpected visitor. Nathan laughed as the man walked into the room, a grin on his face.

"Well, well, this is where my players and cheerleaders ran off to!" he joked.

"Hey, Coach," Lucas said.

Whitey walked over and waited as Brooke, Nathan, and Peyton said their goodbyes, promising to come back the next afternoon and the room fell silent as the door shut behind them.

Whitey sat down in the chair beside Lucas' bed and propped his elbows on the bed.

"How you doing, son?"

"Not so good, Coach."

Whitey nodded, as if he expected the answer.

"I'm proud of you, Lucas. You'll be able to get through this, just like you've gotten through every other problem thrown your way. You're one of the strongest young men I know, and I have no doubt in my mind that you'll be able to get through this."

"Thank, Coach," Lucas said. "I wish I could go to the game Friday night."

"You shouldn't worry about that."

"I know. I just, wish things would go back to normal, at least, a little normal? Like, before this, when I was still pretending and the team didn't know."

"You have a lot of support. You have the whole team behind you 100 percent now."

"I know, I just, I miss the game," Lucas finally said.

"I know you do, son. But, the game's not going anywhere, and neither is your spot. You promise you'll fight this, and I promise you'll be back on the team in no time, better than ever. The whole team is behind you, Luke. You're never in this alone. Don't ever forget that."

"Thank you, Coach. I mean, thanks for, you know, coming here," Lucas said.

Whitey stood and put an arm on Lucas' shoulder. "No problem. I'll see you soon, son."

Lucas watched the man walk out of the room and smiled slightly to himself, laying back into the pillows. He turned out the light and glanced over at the picture frame beside his bed, shining in the light from the window. The photo was from the regional championship party, all of his friends, his mom, the team, the guys from the rivercourt, everyone was there. The wise coach's words played over and over in his head. _You're never in this alone._ Lucas smiled to himself and closed his eyes, letting himself fade back into sleep.


	15. Not Going Anywhere

**Hey everybody! Here's the newest chapter of "For the Love of the Game"...enjoy!**

**WARNING: There is a break in the story about 2/3 of the way down. This break is intended. Below it, the rating for the rest of this chapter is going to be M for sexual content. If you're uncomfortable with reading this, please don't read the end of the chapter.**

**IMPORTANT: Also, below the break, nothing was written by me. The sexual scenes in the end were all written by my incredible beta Melissa and she did a fantastic job with it! So props to her!!! Thanks so much!**

Brooke ran a brush through her thick, dark hair and smiled at Haley, who was looking at her from where she sat on the bed, through the reflection in the mirror.

"Where are you off to? The game doesn't start for three hours."

"I'm going to see Lucas," Brooke said, getting up to take Haley's hand. "And you are too!"

Haley quickly yanked her hand away and sat further back into the bed, pulling a pillow to her chest.

"I told you I can't, Brooke! The game is tonight!"

"So?! I'm not going. You should come see Lucas with me."

"I have to go to the game, Brooke. Especially if you're not. Peyton's not going to be able to handle the squad on her own."

"Haley, Peyton's fully capable of it. So you're out of excuses!"

"Brooke! I can't!"

"Why?"

"Because I'm scared!"

Brooke's outrage ceased and her eyes filled with sympathy for her friend, who hugged the pillow to her chest tightly.

"Haley, we've been over this before. Don't be scared. He's your best friend!"

"I know that. It's just...it's always been me and Lucas against the world. And now it's the world against him, and there's nothing I can do about it!"

Brooke sat down on the bed and put a hand on Haley's knee.

"I just, need another day or two, please? I know it's awful and selfish. But I need to wait until he's not so miserable. I know he's in a lot of pain since the surgery, but I just can't see him like that. I'll break down, and he can't see that, it won't do him any good."

Brooke looked anto Haley's tear-filled eyes and nodded. "Okay, well, I'm going to go. Good luck at the game, Tutorwife."

Haley smiled sadly as Brooke left.

---

"Can I come in?" Nathan called out, already rounding the corner of the room to find his brother mindlessly flipping channels.

"Hey, big brother. How you feeling?" Nathan greeting, bumping fists lightly with Lucas as he sat down beside him.

"Better, thanks. How'd practice go?"

"It went alright. We're going to kill Mountain Brook tonight."

"Man, I wish I was out there."

"I know you do, man. You'll get there," Nathan reassured him.

Lucas nodded before replying, "I just feel like everyone else's lives are going forward and mine's stopped."

"You can't think like that, man. We're not leaving you behind. I know it's hard not being at school, being stuck here, but honestly man, you're on everyone's mind 99 percent of the time every single day. You have so many people thinking about you, trying to find things they can do to help you. If you believe one thing I say, let it be that we're always thinking about you. And we wish you were out there just as much as you do. There's like this giant hole in your day..in our lives, without you around, you know? So you got to get better. We all need you back in comission just as much as you want to be back."

"I know. And I want to say thanks, especially to you. You've really been helping me out, Nate."

Nathan smiled. "No problem, man. Whatever you need."

The brothers smiled before Nathan sighed and looked down at his watch. "I just wanted to drop by and say hey before the game. You and Brooke are going to watch it from Mouth's telecast tonight, right?"

Lucas nodded again and smiled.

"Alright, just, please watch it. I have a surprise for you."

Lucas cocked his eyebrow and watched as Nathan stood, clearly curious.

"What do you have up your sleeve, Nate?"

"Nothing, nothing at all," Nathan joked sarcastically.

As if on cue, Brooke came through the door and smiled at the two boys. She walked over to the bed, leaned over, and kissed Lucas on the forehead.

"How you feeling, Broody?"

"I'm okay."

"You ready for the game, Nate?" Brooke asked, her hand resting briefly on his shoulder in a friendly gesture.

"Oh, yeah, definitely. I'm going to go. You two have fun--and watch the game! I'll talk to you later, Luke. See ya, Brooke!" Nathan called quickly as he hurried out the door.

"Wha—?"

"I have no idea," Brooke answered, laughing.

Lucas smiled up at Brooke and scooted over slightly on the bed, making room for her to lay beside him.

"You know, you really should go to the game, Brooke. There's no reason for you to be here," he tried to convince her for what seemed to be the millionth time.

"Oh, but see, there is a reason, a very big reason, and I love him so much more than a basketball game," she cooed, running her fingers through his hair.

She scooted closer to him, feeling the heat of his body next to hers. Running her fingers over his chest, she sighed.

"I missed you today, Luke."

"I missed you too, Brooke."

---

Haley rushed out of the locker room, straightening her cheerleading skirt as she made her way to the gym. She was already late and the game was just about to start. She stopped dead in her tracks as she heard it.

"Well, well, if it isn't Mrs. Scott?"

Haley whirled around to find Coach Whitey Durham grinning as he walked over to her.

"Didn't expect to see you here tonight," he told her.

"Why not, Coach?"

"Oh, I just figured you'd be escorting Miss Davis to see Lucas tonight."

Haley's face fell as she felt a pang of guilt hit her full-force in the stomach. "I just, um, I wanted to come to the game."

The man put a strong hand on Haley's shoulder as they walked into the gym. "Nathan told me you'd been having a tough time with all of this lately. I just wanted to see how you were doing," Whitey confessed.

Haley bit her tongue to keep her emotions in check. "I just, I can't, Coach. I don't know why it's so hard for me to see him. I've just, I've never been good at lying. And I hate pretending everything's going to be okay when I don't know that."

Whitey put both hand's on the girl's shoulders. "Haley, you've got a good heart. You've changed Nathan in a way I've never thought possible. You're probably the best friend Lucas has ever had, and he probably owes a lot of what is good in him today, to you. You have to be there for him, whether it's easy or not. He doesn't care if you're laughing or crying, as long as you're there, understand?"

Haley nodded, tears spilling over.

"Oh, and Haley, you're far too young not to believe everything will be okay. Believe that with all your heart."

Haley smiled and nodded, letting the man engulf her in his arms. When the tears had stopped, she pulled away and smiled. Suddenly, a gust of wind overwhelmed her, as the players entered through the doors, she gasped. The team ran in with their hands raised high, and the gesture brought tears to Haley's eyes.

"See, Mrs. Scott, all of you, you're all way too young not to believe," the coach said, a small chuckle escaping him as he entered behind the players.

---

Brooke flipped on the television just in time to see the team rushing in, her eyes gleaming.

"This is Mouth McFadden, reporting live from Tree Hill High where the Tree Hill Ravens are pumped up and ready to take down Mountain Brook, full-force tonight," Mouth reported as shots of the audience and the teams faded in and out.

"What are they doing?" Lucas asked as he watched his teammates throw objects into the audience.

He looked to Brooke and Brooke smiled mischievously.

"Brooke, what's going on?"

"Shh, just watch," she said, a deeply dimpled smile on her face.

"Okay, ladies and gentlemen, the audience is getting a special treat tonight. And look, here come Nathan and the rest of the Tree Hill Ravens to explain what's happening."

The microphone was given to Nathan as the rest of the team crowded around him.

"Well, Mouth, as most people already know, one of our captains, my brother, Lucas Scott, was recently diagnosed with cancer and isn't able to play along with us tonight. So to show our support, we're selling these," he explained.

The teammates held up their wrists to reveal blue sweatbands with Lucas's jersey number on them.

"All of the money raised is going to help Lucas and his mom get through this rough time and this way, he'll will be with us in the game, even when he can't be here."

"Well, there you have it. The Tree Hill Ravens doing their best to help one of their own," Mouth concluded. "Any last words before the game, guys?"

Nathan looked around and the team smiled, leaning in towards the camera as the cheerleaders and a few fans crowded into the shot.

"We love you, Lucas!" they shouted in unison.

The microphone was handed to Nathan once more. "Well, there you go, man. I hope you're watching this! You're always here, Luke. We love you, man!" he said, smiling. Nathan jogged off behind the team and Mouth widened the shot, showing the entire team warming up.

Brooke turned down the volume and looked at Lucas, who had tears in his eyes.

"Did you know about this, Brooke?" he asked softly.

She smiled and rolled up her sleeve to reveal her own wristband and laughed. "Everyone knew, Luke. We just wanted to show you how much you mean to everyone," she explained.

He laughed and fingered the wristband before kissing her forehead.

"I love you, Brooke. Thank you, for everything, for being here with me tonight."

"I love you too, Luke."

-----

WARNING: RATING NOW M FOR SEXUAL CONTENT AND WRITTEN BY MELISSA

--------

He pulled her into his lap and her weight rested lightly on him. His fingers gentle tugged at her neck, leaving their mouths centimeters apart. Brooke's weight shifted and he hid the little bit of pain he was experiencing as her mouth met his. Lucas pulled her tighter, her tongue delicately moving over his. She pulled back, letting her teeth tug at his bottom lip before she stood up.

"You Broody," she said huskily, an eyebrow raised, "have one more surprise tonight."

"Mmm, I love surprises." Lucas murmured as Brooke gently turned his shoulders so he was face down on the couch. She crawled over him, her center hovering over the small of his back. Her fingers slid inch by inch beneath his shirt, caressing in small lazy circles. Her felt her lean in and her lips tickled his ear.

"I just want to make you feel better. I want you to feel as good as you've always made me feel." Her tongue traced the shell of his ear and her hands rose up, cupping his sides; she applied the faintest of pressure before her mouth came down onto the middle of his back, licking those same small invisible circles her fingers had been making moments before; his shirt was now shoved up underneath his armpits. She scooted backwards, allowing her bottom to rest on his thighs and her tongue moved further down until it came to the dip in his back just above his jeans. "I love you so much" she murmured, her hands unconsciously gripping his butt. His muscles tightened; she made him feel good. "I can't lose you, I love you too much." she said a little louder. "I won't let you."

He wasn't sure if her words were meant to be heard by him, or if they were simply the internal thoughts of a beautiful girl who didn't want to worry him— being articulated unintentionally, at a weak moment.

His back arched and he released a low growl as her fingers delicately dipped just along his waistband, between his flesh and the sweatpants covering him. Abruptly she stopped and climbed off of him. He looked up, confused for only a moment before he saw her pull her shirt over her head. He did the same before she rested on him again, her breasts cushioning his spine.

"I can feel your heartbeat thumping against my cheek" she practically hummed, her fingers still moving across his back in the most intimate way.

Slowly, he was being driven mad. His head lifted slightly off the couch and turned to the side in an attempt to look back at her. "I need more, Brooke. You've been amazing, so amazing. Any other girl would've got scared and ran. You got scared, I know you have, but you won't let me see it, and you stayed" he paused, gaging her expression; her eyes twinkled in wonderment yet she was so at ease. "Please don't say n--" he was silenced by her finger on his lips, her other hand rested gently at the base of his neck, playing the fine blond hairs.

"Whatever you want, Broody," she said, barely audible. Her eyes became hazy.

He pushed her up onto her knees and she took that as a signal to remove her bra. As she did this he sat mesmerized for a few seconds before he slid both his sweatpants and boxer briefs down his legs and into a pile on the floor. When he turned to look back at her she was kicking her skirt off her toes. She glanced up, a deep dimpled smile gracing her face.

"Whatcha lookin' at?" she purred.

"You know..." he trailed off, his eyes absorbing her beauty. She was only clad in a pair of thigh highs. "You didn't wear underwear...you were expecting..." his jaw slackened.

"A girl can hope" she shrugged nonchalantly, a smile appearing on her face again.

He looked down at himself and frowned. He was much paler, almost gray, and his muscles had shrunk significantly.

"The chemo...I..." he tried to explain. He didn't want to disgust her. She was so beautiful, he thought. She deserved better.

"Shhh...you're perfect" she whispered, allowing herself to straddle him without letting her weight rest on him. Her hand moved between his legs and gave him two long strokes.

His eyes fluttered shut and her grip tightened. Their scent already hung in the air, overwhelming him. He could feel her heat; it had been too long and it was obvious they wanted each other badly. He tucked his chin down and left a chaste kiss on her neck; he repeated the motion on the top of each of her breasts before arching up and claiming her lips. She pulled away again, her hands resting firmly on his chest.

"Wha--?"

She got onto her knees, and tucked her hair behind her ears before taking his erection, in its entirety, into her mouth. He felt loved at the familiar sensations. After all, he thought, how many girls, would go down on their cancer patient boyfriends? Not many, was his guess.

"Baby, baby..." he moaned, "I don't want to finish yet, come here," he slurred. He was broken out in a sweat and as Brooke looked him over she wondered if it was from their sexual acts, or if he was feeling ill and hiding it.

"Maybe you should take it easy, maybe we shouldn't--" her brow furrowed and she tried to reach for her bra.

"Don't make me beg, Brooke, because I will. My insanely gorgeous girlfriend is on me, _naked_. Believe me, I won't be feeling anything other than pleasure" he attempted to reassure her, stroking her hair as he did so.

She sighed, and again a deeply simpled smile appeared on her face. "I just can't deny you." She shook her head and giggled. "You know," her tone was serious, "you're the only person I've done this with,"

It was his turn to be confused again. "Brooke..."

"I meant that I loved!" she exclaimed, fully aware of what he was thinking.

"Then show me some love!" he teased, pinning her on the couch beneath him.

He couldn't forget her, it was impossible. Her moans, her heaving chest, the way her heels rested on the backs of his knees as he slid into her, sending him into a trance. He tensed and relaxed every time she moved her body forward; he moved into her deeper, their pelvises pressed firmly together, nonsensical half-words and moans escaped both their lips.

"Mmm...more..." Brooke moaned, forcefully slamming him down on her. It was only then that he started to feel weak. His arms, holding himself over her writhing frame felt like they would tear from their sockets, and his chest heaved not only out of pleasure, but pain—a searing pain making its way from his shoulders, radiating into his throat and down into his belly. His eyes rolled back into his head and he slid down onto his elbows, almost coming to a halt as he felt Brooke spasm and squeeze tightly around his member, slick and warm. His face rested between her breasts, and his hands came down to stroke gently at her sides, holding her to her. Despite his fatigued state the sensation caused an involuntarily jerk of his hips.

"Ooooh..." he groaned coming to a halt, a bead of sweat dropped from his forehead and clung to Brooke's upper lip. She licked it off, her eyes closed tightly, and her hips still moved rhythmically against his still body for a few seconds before her eyes lazily opened.

"I'm not. I didn't...are you...are you okay Luke?" Only then did she notice his ashen face and trembling lips. His eyes were watery and his arms shook as he held himself up. "Oh Lucas" she cried quietly, sitting up. But he held onto her, wanted to hold on to the feeling of him inside her. He didn't want to resign himself to the knowledge that he wasn't well yet, not by a long shot, or that he wasn't able to show her how much he wanted her still, even if logically he knew she couldn't forget. He missed her so much as she wrapped her arms around him, their bodies still joined, he began to cry, short abrupt sobs into her shoulder.

"I love you, nothing will ever change that." She reassured quietly in his ear. "You're going to get through this; you have too many people helping you. And Lucas..." she trailed off, trying to get him to meet her gaze. He finally did. "I'm going to make sure you get better."

He nodded, sniffling.

"And just so you know Lucas, you were wonderful, even if--"

"Brooke, you don't need to lie..."  
"No, Broody, look." She put distance between their faces, and cupped his cheeks in her palms. "Just being close to you, being able to share something with you—whatever you're able to share. That's what I'm grateful for, that's enough for me. I don't want you to hurt yourself. I'm not going anywhere."


	16. Something Unexpected

**Hey everybody! It's been a long time, but school's finally out! Woo! This chapter's a little dull, but I had some things I needed to tackle with Karen, and Haley and Lucas' relationship...plus, a little surprise I've been waiting to write since I started the story. So, I hope you enjoy. There's only a few chapters left! Please review...it makes me happy. Haha. Big thanks again to my beta, Melissa.**

----------------------

Karen sat at her son's bedside stroking his hair as he slept; it had been a pretty good day, considering the fact that he'd had his most recent chemotherapy the day before. The effects had worn off fairly quickly this time, and for that she was grateful. It had been a month since she'd returned home, though it felt like much longer. She definitely hadn't been expecting this: Lucas pale and nauseous, sore and sleeping all the time; herself, without the ability to ease her child's suffering. She kissed his forehead and got up, making her way, in the dark, towards the kitchen. Stumbling, she heard something fall to the floor and shatter. Quickly flipping on the hall light she retrieved the broken object from the floor and brought it to the kitchen. Her vision blurred with tears as she stared at the picture frame and the old photograph it held. Her body slumped heavily into the chair at the table; her tears stained the picture and she allowed her head to rest on her arms. Delicately fingering the faces of the people in the photo, she sighed.

---

"Karen?" Haley called out cautiously as she flung open the door to her best friend's house, her husband in tow. She stared blankly at the woman asleep at the kitchen table, and Nathan walked around his wife to put a reassuring hand on Karen's shoulder. Karen stirred and looked up at the two. Haley came up beside Nathan, a look of concern weighed on her face.

"Oh, hi Haley, Nathan. I guess I fell asleep here last night," she said, her tone light-hearted. "Nathan, you can go wake Lucas. He should feel up to going to school today."

Nathan nodded and headed off towards his brother's room.

"Karen, are you okay?" Haley asked as Karen got up and started to clean up the dishes from the previous day. The steam from the water rose up as Karen scrubbed at the dishes, deep concentration.

"Of course, Haley," she smiled, lifting her head for only a moment. "I'll be right back."

Karen headed towards her room as Haley caught sight of the object on the table. She gazed nostalgically at the photograph, picking it up to look closer. In it, Haley and Lucas were sitting on a hospital bed, and Keith was standing beside them. He held Haley's hand as she signed Lucas' new cast, and tousled his blond hair; Lucas' face had been captured mid-laugh. She smiled to herself, thinking back.

"Do you remember that?" Karen asked from where she stood in the doorway, a new look spreading across her face, reflective.

"Yeah...we were nine. Lucas and I climbed up a tree in the park and couldn't get down, so we both jumped. Lucas broke my fall...and his arm," Haley added with a laugh.

Karen smiled, and then walked closer to Haley, taking the picture from her. She looked down at it and quickly set it on the table, hiding her face, but Haley still saw Karen's tears. She quickly embraced the woman, stroking her back.

"He was always so strong when Lucas was sick..." Karen whispered into Haley's shoulder.

"Oh, Karen," Haley said, knowing exactly who she was talking about, and why she was crying. "I'm sure Keith will be back. You know as soon as he hears what's happened, he'll be here in a heartbeat. We just need to find a way to get a hold of him."

---

Nathan nudged his brother and Lucas groaned, rolling over in bed. Nathan tossed a t-shirt, jeans, and a hoodie at him.

"You up for going to school today, man?" Nathan asked as Lucas sat up slowly.

Lucas rubbed his eyes and nodded. He had been going to school twice a week, sometimes more or less, depending when he was feeling up to it. He usually made it through the day fine, but every once in awhile he would have to ask Nathan or Brooke to take him home on lunch break. He wasn't in his regular classes; instead, he was in the tutoring center all day, getting special help to keep up. He didn't mind all that much; He still got to see his friends at lunch and in between classes. Lucas pulled the hoodie over his head and rose from the bed, pulling on his jeans and running his fingers through his mussed hair. Nathan laughed.

"What?"

"Looking rough this morning, man..." Nathan said, laughing.

Lucas playfully punched him in the arm and shook his head, leading his brother out of the room and into the kitchen. Karen had breakfast from the café sitting on the table. Nathan hungrily sat down next to his wife and they practically inhaled the food. Lucas stood by the wall and shook his head at his mother, indicating he wasn't feeling up to eating, so she reluctantly handed him a glass of juice and smiled.

Ten minutes later, Karen was waving good-bye as Nathan loaded Lucas' books into the car and Lucas climbed in along side his brother and best friend. When the car was safely down the road, Karen headed back into the house and marked another day off the calendar. Seeing "Chemo—10:00" written on the next day only brought tears to her eyes. She honestly didn't know how she could possibly cry any more. She cried again, for Lucas, for being helpless, for not having Keith; finally, when she could cry no more, she grabbed the phone, fell onto the couch, and dialed the familiar number, her fingers going numb. Getting his voice mail, she started talking with no thought. "Keith...I know I've left you messages before. But, um, I just, thought you should know that...I mean...I need you, Keith," she said, her voice shaking. "Lucas...he, he's sick, really sick. He has cancer, Keith. And you're not here! Why aren't you here, Keith?! I need you, Lucas needs you! And you ran off and left us! What we did to you was wrong, lying about Jules, but I was trying to help you. Lucas was trying to help you. If you're still mad at me, fine. Just, please come back for Lucas. He needs you more than he'll ever tell anyone. Please, Keith, please." With that, Karen slammed the phone down and heaved a sigh. Whether it was from grief, relief, anger, or a combination of all three, she didn't know; she felt bad for yelling at him, but she had to admit she felt better. Even if Keith didn't get the voice mail, she had attempted to tell him. She had tried to convince him to come back. Now the ball was in his court and she felt a little less guilty.

---

Lucas sat on the bench facing the river court, his back leaning against the table. Nathan, Skillz, Fergie, and a couple guys from the team were finishing up a pick-up game and Mouth was sitting beside him, keeping track of each player's average. Lucas smiled as his brother dunked one last basket, ending the game. They all exchanged high-fives and pats on the back, wiping sweat from their faces as they made their way towards Lucas.

"Good game, guys! Just a few more wins and you're in the state championships!" Lucas told them.

The guys crowded around, sitting on the table and around the bench. Lucas laid his head back on the table and sighed to himself.

"Hey, Luke, you alright?" Mouth asked, being the first one to notice their friend was no longer paying attention.

Lucas lifted his head back up and put his hand over his eyes for a moment. "Yeah, I'm good, just tired."

"It's probably time for us to be heading home. I think Haley's cooking tonight," Nathan laughed, knowing the light-hearted response was his brother's way of telling him he needed to leave.

Nathan and Lucas said their good-byes for the evening and hopped into Nathan's car. They weren't even pulled onto the street before Nathan looked over and his brother was asleep, his head resting on the window. Nathan chuckled to himself and headed towards his brother's house. When they arrived, Nathan quietly took Lucas' things from the backseat and placed them in the doorway of the house before going back to the car and opening the passenger door to gently shake the sleeping Scott. Lucas looked up, dazed.

"C'mon, man. You're home. And I'm sure as hell not going to carry you inside," Nathan laughed. Lucas smiled and groggily stepped out of the car, slowly walking up the steps to the house, his brother following close behind. Lucas hugged his brother quickly before heading towards his room. "Thanks, man."

"No problem. I'll come by tomorrow afternoon to see how you're doing. I think Haley and Brooke are going to clinic with you tomorrow. I've got practice."

Lucas nodded. "Okay, see you tomorrow, Nate."

Nathan was about to turn and head back towards the car when he felt a touch on his shoulder.

"Thanks for bringing him home again, Nathan," Karen said.

"Don't worry about it, Karen." He paused. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. It was just a long day. Head on home, Nathan. I hear Haley's waiting with dinner for you," she said.

Nathan nodded and smiled before waving a hand and heading back towards the car.

---

Haley gripped Lucas' hand as they followed the nurse into the room. Haley felt Lucas take a deep breath and put a gentle hand on his back. She squeezed his hand for comfort, whether it was for his or her own, she wasn't sure. She remembered the first time she had gotten up the nerve to visit him, right after he had his port inserted for the second time.

Flashback

Haley walked slowly into the room, bracing herself for what she was about to see. She bravely rounded the corner and held her breath. She saw her husband sitting beside her best friend's hospital bed, reading an article from a sports magazine.

"Hey, you," he said, rising from his chair to hug her. He felt her tense up as he looked past him towards her best friend.

"Don't worry, Haley. He just fell asleep a couple of minutes ago. He's fine. The medicine is just making him tired. Everything is okay. Here, I'm going to go get a drink. Why don't you sit and talk to him for awhile? He won't mind you waking him up. He's been waiting for you to come visit."

Haley simply nodded and Nathan squeezed her shoulder as he passed her by to leave the room. She slipped into the chair beside the bed and put a timid hand lightly on Lucas' arm. He opened his eyes slightly and whispered, "Hey buddy, I missed you."

With that, the memories of the last time she'd had to work up the courage to visit her best friend in the hospital came rushing back to her and she carefully climbed onto the bed next to him, letting him wrap his good arm tightly around her and kiss her forehead.

"Hales, don't cry..."

"I'm sorry," she said, her voice cracking.

"For what?"

"For not being here, Luke. I just, I couldn't stand to see you like this."

He hugged her tightly. "It's okay. I knew you'd come eventually."

Haley smiled. "Don't ever, ever scare me like that again, Lucas Scott."

He laughed and then stopped suddenly as she noticed the look of pain washing over his face.

"Luke, are you okay?"

He took a deep breath and nodded.

"Your chest still hurts?"

He nodded again hesitantly.

"I was so afraid I was going to lose you, Luke. You're my best friend. I don't know what I'd do without you," she said softly, tears rolling down her cheeks.

He gently wiped the tears from her faced and looked her in the eyes. "I would never, ever leave you, Hales. Don't worry. Everything is going to be okay."

She looked up into his eyes. "You promise, Luke?"

He nodded and smiled. "I promise."

End Flashback

Ever since that day, that one, simple promise had helped Haley stay strong for her best friend. This was the first time she had mustered up enough courage to go to chemotherapy with him. They were doing something different today, and she knew he was scared, even if he was trying not to let it show.

Lucas sat down on the edge of the bed and Haley sat down next to him. Lucas looked over at his best friend and tried his best to smile reassuringly. He wanted more than anything to be able to keep his promise to her. He was proud of her, for being able to come with him this time. His mom had come with them too. But he had told her to wait outside, telling her he didn't want her there. In all honesty though, he really just didn't want her to have to see him in pain again. He knew how much it hurt her, even when she said she was fine. Lucas looked down to the floor, breaking his glance with Haley.

"Go ahead and sit back on the bed, Lucas. The doctor will be here momentarily to explain what we'll be doing today, and then we can get started," the nurse said, bringing both Haley and Lucas back to reality. She pulled a chair close to the bed and patted it. "Here you go, miss. You can sit here beside him."

Haley obediently sat in the chair and Lucas lay back on the bed. Only a few seconds passed before the door opened and an older man walked in.

"Hello, Mr. Scott. How are we doing today?"

"Do you want an honest response?" Lucas asked, chuckling half-heartedly.

The doctor smiled softly and looked down at his chart. "Well, the next treatment we have set up for you is a set of intramuscular injections."

Lucas and Haley both stared blankly at the man, waiting for an explanation.

"What that means is, instead of giving you the drugs through the port in your chest, we'll be using long needles to give you three shots. The reason for the long needles is to get to the deep muscle layer. You'll get one shot in each upper thigh and one directly into your shoulder."

Lucas and Haley nodded, the blank stares still on their faces.

"The nurses will be in here in a minute. I'll be back to check on you later, Lucas," the doctor said, leaving the room.

Haley opened her mouth to talk but didn't have the chance as two nurses walked into the room, sitting on the opposite side of the bed from her. They immediately started bustling around, prepping everything they needed. Lucas looked to Haley and she put a comforting hand on his and squeezed it. "You going to be okay, buddy?"

Lucas nodded slowly and looked back to the nurses. As if Haley was reading his mind, she asked the nurses who sat down next to Lucas the question she knew he wanted to ask. "Is it going to hurt?"

One of the women looked at Haley, then at Lucas. "I'm not going to lie to you both. The procedure is very uncomfortable, though it only lasts a minute or two."

Lucas looked back to Haley and she saw the fear in his eyes and squeezed his hand again.

"We're going to lay the bed down now, Lucas."

Lucas took a deep breath as the bed lowered. He closed his eyes for a second and settled his head into the pillow, trying to forget about what was about to happen. He knew as soon as they pulled up the leg of his shorts he wasn't going to be able to do that. Feeling them wipe a small circle with a wet towel around his leg, he looked at Haley once more. She pulled her chair closer to the head of the bed so that she could look directly down at his face.

"This is the first one, Lucas. You're going to feel a lot of pressure, some stinging, and then it'll be over. Just breathe through it, okay?"

Lucas didn't respond; he simply stared up at the ceiling. As soon as he felt the needle puncture his leg, he squeezed his eyes shut. It felt like someone was driving a semi-truck over his thigh, over and over and over. The pressure was immense and he felt trapped. He held his breath and immediately felt as if he was going to explode.

"The pressure's almost done, Lucas. It's going to sting, and then it's over. Just breathe," the nurse instructed him.

Lucas was finally able to take a deep breath as a burning sensation ran through his leg. He winced and gritted his teeth, feeling as if his leg was on fire.

"Okay, we're done."

The needle was taken out and as the two women wrapped a bandage around his thigh, Lucas finally took a breath. He opened his eyes and looked up at Haley. She had tears in her own eyes and he reached up a shaking hand to tuck a wisp of hair behind her ear.

"Hales, don't cry. You should leave. You don't need to see this."

Haley shook her head. "I'm not leaving you."

The nurses moved to the other side of the bed beside Haley and quickly prepped for the next one. This time, Lucas was ready for it. He stared at Haley for as long as he could before having to squeeze his eyes shut. The blinding pain came once again and Lucas held his breath, wishing he was anywhere but there. In Brooke's arms, his lips against her skin, on the river court with his brother and best friends, in the cafe washing dishes for his mother.

"Okay Lucas, those two are finished," the woman said, wrapping a bandage around his other leg. "Your legs will be sore for a few days, but the other side effects will be similar to the treatments you're used to." When they were finished, she smiled at him. "Now, for the last one. Could you remove your shoulder sling and your shirt, please?"

Lucas looked to Haley, his eyes glossy, wide with fear. She quickly moved to the other side of the bed to help him. He held his arm in place as she loosened the strap around his neck and gently pulled the sling away, placing it on the table beside them. She looked back to him and he nodded, as if reading her mind. He kept his arm in place as she lifted the bottom of his t-shirt over his good arm and then over his head, leaving it hanging from his bad shoulder. He smiled at her reassuringly before letting go of his arm and carefully pulling the shirt off. Haley set the shirt next to the sling, she then moved back to the other side of the bed and let the nurses take her place. Lucas stared at the ceiling, trying to convince himself it couldn't be any worse than the two he had already experience.

"Okay, here goes the last one Lucas, just remember to breathe."

He winced as the nurse straightened his arm, letting it lay beside him. He looked towards his shoulder and the woman quickly turned his head away.

"Don't watch," she instructed.

Haley grabbed Lucas' hand and put her other hand on his head, stroking his hair. She watched him squeeze his eyes shut, his jaw tightened in tandem. Lucas gripped Haley's hand tightly as the overwhelming pain took over the right side of his body. He felt hot tears escape the corners of his eyes and slide down the sides of his face. It took every ounce of strength he had not to cry out. When the pain finally subsided, after what seemed to be hours, Lucas finally let a deep breath fill his chest and kept his eyes clothes, not wanting his friend to see him cry. He felt Haley wipe away his tears and he promptly opened his eyes, his vision a bit blurry.

"You did it, Luke," Haley whispered. "It's over."

Lucas nodded and closed his eyes again. He didn't have the strength to respond. He gritted his teeth as Haley helped him pull his shirt back over his head and adjust the sling back to its position. He heard the nurses talking to him and nodded, though he wasn't comprehending what they were saying. Haley wiped the sweat from his forehead and then she got up and walked towards the door.

"Is he okay?"

Lucas immediately recognized his mother's voice.

"He's okay now, Karen." Haley answered. "It was tough, but he got through it. They said they'll probably keep him here until this evening just to make sure everything went okay."

He heard the doctor talking to his mother before everything started to fade and he fell asleep.

---

The next time he opened his eyes Haley was gone, and his mother was sitting beside him, stroking his arm and crying softly. He tried to roll over to face her but as pain shot through his body, he moaned. Karen looked up and immediately wiped her eyes, smiling half-heartedly.

"Hey, Luke. How you feeling?"

He ran the tip of his tongue over his dry lips, tasting metallic. "How long was I asleep?"

"Almost three hours."

Lucas nodded. "How long have you been crying, Mom?"

"Not long. Don't worry."

He frowned. "No, really."

She tried to laugh. "About two months?"

He smiled and took her hand. "Don't cry, Mom. I'm going to be okay."

She nodded. "I know. I just wish..."

She didn't have to say it. He knew she needed someone to help her out. Just then, Haley walked back in the room. "Nathan and Brooke will be here soon. Oh, hey Luke. You're up," she walked over to him. "How are you fee—?"

She didn't get to finish. Lucas quickly sat up, grabbed the waste basket from the floor beside his bed. His stomach churned violently, and emptied the contents of his stomach into the can. Haley rubbed his back and Karen went to get a cup of water. When he was finished he laid back, and closed his eyes.

"You okay now?" Haley asked as Karen handed him the water. He took a small sip and nodded.

"Sorry about that, Hales," he joked softly. "I wanted to—" He stopped mid-sentence, a dazed look taking over his face as he stared out the open door.

"What's wrong, Luke?" Haley asked.

Lucas lifted a shaky hand to point to the person standing in the doorway. Haley and Karen followed his gaze and gasped. Karen was the first to speak.

"Keith..."


End file.
